Environmental factors, including smoking, physical activity and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes, according to a study published today in Nature Medicine.
The key findings included:
- Environmental factors explained 17 per cent of the variation in risk of death, compared to less than 2 per cent explained by genetic predisposition (as we understand it today).
- Of the 25 independent environmental factors identified, smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and living conditions had the most impact on premature death and biological ageing.
- Smoking was associated with 21 diseases, socioeconomic factors (such as household income, home ownership, and employment status) were associated with 19 diseases, and physical activity was associated with 17 diseases.
- Early life exposures, including body weight at 10 years and whether your mother smoked around birth, were also shown to influence ageing and risk of premature death 30-80 years later.
- Environmental exposures had a greater effect on diseases of the heart, lung and liver, while genetic risk dominated for dementias and breast cancer.
The research shows that whilst many of the individual exposures identified played a small part in premature death, the combined effect of these multiple exposures over a lifetime explained a large proportion of variation in premature death.
Bold action needed
Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “Your income, postcode and background shouldn’t determine your chances of living a long and healthy life. But this pioneering study reinforces that this is the reality for far too many people.
“We have long known that risk factors such as smoking impact our heart and circulatory health, but this new research emphasises just how great the opportunity is to influence our chances of developing health problems, including cardiovascular disease, and dying prematurely. We urgently need bold action from Government to target the surmountable barriers to good health that too many people in the UK are facing.”
