The secret to long life? Forget diet or exercise – it could be in the genes after all, scientists say
From regular excercise to a strict diet, some people will try just about anything for a longer life.
Now, a study has finally revealed the secret to increased lifespan – and it turns out it's mostly in our genes.
Until now, studies have suggested only around 10 to 30 per cent of a lifespan can be put down to genetics.
The rest was thought to be made up with illnesses, accidents and lifestyle factors such as eating well, not smoking and exercising.
However, a new study led by the University of Copenhagen has uncovered the role genes actually play in the human lifespan.
And according to their calculations, more like 55 per cent can be put down to genetics.
'If lifespan is largely fixed by genetics, then the scope for influencing the rate of ageing is limited, particularly for lifestyle interventions,' said co–authors Daniela Bakula and Morten Scheibye–Knudsen.
'Conversely, if genetic contributions are minimal, efforts to understand ageing through genetic approaches are difficult to justify.'
A study has finally revealed the secret to increased lifespan – and it turns out it's mostly in our genes
The average life expectancy in the UK has been increasing over the last couple of centuries.
According to the most recent data from the ONS, male healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth in England for the period 2021 to 2023 is estimated to be 61.5 years.
Healthy life expectancy is slightly higher for females at 61.9 years in England for the same period.
In their new study, the team set out to understand exactly why it is that some people live longer than others.
Historically, some past studies have relied on hundreds of years worth of potentially poor quality data and included deaths when things such as disease and poor healthcare were far more common.
Instead, the University of Copenhagen team looked at twin studies and found that when deaths from external factors, such as accidents or infectious disease, were lower, the role of genes appeared to increase.
In an accompanying editorial, the researchers said the findings 'carry important implications'.
'Clarifying the role of inherited variation in ageing–related mortality is therefore central to both biological understanding and societal expectations,' they wrote.
In their new study, the team set out to understand exactly why it is that some people live longer than other (stock image)
According to the experts, the new work strengthens the argument for looking at which genetic variants are associated with a long life and which genetic differences affect biological pathways that regulate ageing.
They said the work also agrees 'with the observed 50% heritability of other complex traits'.
'Perhaps this means that intrinsic rates of ageing are tightly optimised through evolution, in line with other traits such as cognitive function and metabolism,' they added.
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