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Special Advertising Section | Sunday, March 23, 2025 17By Naomi KresgeBloombergEnvironmental and lifestyle factors play a far greater role than genetics in determining the likelihood of dying young, according to the largest study yet to untangle the contributions of nature and nurture to healthy aging.A range of external factors including exercise and smoking %u2014 collectively dubbed the %u201cexposome%u201d %u2014 was almost 10 times more likely than genetic risk factors to explain premature mortality, scientists from the University of Oxford and Massachusetts General Hospital said in the Nature Medicine journal.They analyzed mortality trends in the UK Biobank, which stores medical and genetic data from about 500,000 people.The study shows how broader social context and environment shape the likelihood of disease, a crucial factor as governments and payers wrestle with how to deal with rising health care costs and an aging society. Many of the factors found to be linked to longer life were proxies for wealth and status, such as years of education, gym use and household income.Understanding the role of environmental factors in aging could have a %u201cprofound impact on improving health for all of us,%u201d said Austin Argentieri, a researcher in the analytic and translational genetics unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. %u201cWe were surprised at just how stark the difference was, how much more the environment matters.%u201dFactors from childhood, including whether a mother smoked around the time of her baby%u2019s birth and a person being %u201crelatively plumper%u201d at around the age of 10, were also linked to cellular signs of aging as an adult. Being shorter at the age of 10 was associated with a lower mortality risk, however.%u201cWe are not prisoners of our genes,%u201d Aimee Aubeeluck, a professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey, who wasn%u2019t involved in the research, said in a comment reacting to the study distributed by the Science Media Center. %u201cIf we know that where we are born and how we live dictate our chances of aging well %u2014 or dying prematurely %u2014 why is policy action so slow?%u201d!\!\206.324.8199 | 300 S Lucile St. Seattle, WA 98108 GASPAR%u2019SIF YOU LIVE IN IT, YOU SHOULD LOVE IT. CERTIFIED AGING IN PLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTSAdvance directive for healthcareNotarize my willTo-Do ListPower-of-attorneyResearch ash scattering lawsResearch aquamationPrepay for funeral?206-325-0489People'sMemorialAssociationAre your ducksin a row?There%u2019s a lot to do, but wecan help.Complete Disposition AuthorizationCALL PEOPLE%u2019S MEMORIALShare my plans with familyAdvance directive for healthcareNotarize my willPower-of-attorneyResearch aquamationPrepay for funeral?Complete Disposition AuthorizationTo-Do ListResearch ash scattering lawsCALL PEOPLE%u2019S MEMORIALShare my plans with familyAre your ducksin a row?There%u2019s a lotto do, but wecan help. 206-325-0489People'sMemorialAssociationP