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Study Finds Genetics Account for 55% of Human Lifespan
By separating external from biological causes of death, researchers found genetics account for about 55% of human lifespan variation, doubling earlier estimates.
- Thursday, an international team of researchers published in Science that genetics explain about 50% of variation in human lifespan using human twin-study datasets.
- Researchers reanalyzed twin datasets by separating extrinsic mortality from intrinsic mortality, reducing non-genetic 'noise' that obscured genetic influence in prior studies using centuries-old data.
- Using historical twin and sibling records from Denmark, Sweden and the U.S., the mathematical model developed by the study authors estimated heritability could reach 55% after rerunning analyses for age-linked infection vulnerability.
- Study authors argue a substantial genetic contribution supports sequencing centenarians to identify longevity variants and refine polygenic risk scores, aiding drug discovery while IVF startups promise embryo-based lifespan inference.
- Researchers caution that roughly 50% of lifespan reflects environmental factors, while few longevity-associated genes like FOXO3, APOE and SIRT6 are identified, with Eric Verdin urging careful interpretation.
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57 Articles
57 Articles
Our genes play a much greater role in how long we live than previously thought.
·Stockholm, Sweden
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More than 50 percent of people live for a long time. So far, studies have "overestimated external causes of death," the research team argues.
·Vienna, Austria
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The lifespan of a human could be more dependent on the genes than previously assumed, as shown by the results of a recent study.
How we live seems to affect our lifespan much less than previously thought. A new study based on Swedish data, among other things, shows that genes are all the more important. “There is a limit to how much you can influence your lifespan,” says Sara Hägg, who researches the processes of aging.
·Stockholm, Sweden
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Total News Sources57
Leaning Left13Leaning Right7Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Left
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
41% Left
L 41%
C 37%
R 22%
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