Your Habits Matter More Than Your Genes, Say Scientists

Beginner | July 2, 2025

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Good News for Healthy Living!

Are Genes Your Destiny?

Have you ever thought, “My family has certain health problems, so I will too”? Scientists have been thinking about genes and how they affect how long we live. Genes are like instructions inside our bodies. But guess what? New studies say that living a healthy life might be even more important than your genes! This is the big idea behind the debate on healthy lifestyle vs genes.

What the UK Study Found

A big study from the UK looked at many people. They found that having an unhealthy lifestyle increased the chance of dying sooner by a lot, even more than having genes linked to a shorter life. This is great news! It’s like they found that you have more control than you might think.

Lifestyle vs. Genes: Who Wins?

What the Oxford Study Discovered

Another recent study from Oxford University looked at many factors that affect health and aging. They found that things around us and our daily habits (like smoking, moving our bodies, and even where we live) were much more important than our genes.

Why Habits Matter More

This study showed that lifestyle and environmental factors explained a bigger part of why some people live longer than others. Genes were still important for some specific diseases, like certain types of cancer, but overall, your daily choices made a bigger difference in how long you might live and stay healthy. Again, it highlights the power of a healthy lifestyle vs genes when it comes to life expectancy.

What Is a Healthy Lifestyle?

So, what makes a healthy lifestyle? The studies often talk about a few key things. These include not smoking, exercising regularly, eating healthy food, and getting enough sleep. These simple habits can help you live longer and healthier, no matter what genes you have.

Your Choices Can Fight Bad Genes

Living healthily can help reduce the bad effects that some genes might have. It’s like your healthy habits can work against the less helpful instructions in your genes. Scientists are excited about these findings because they show that we can do a lot to improve our health and add years to our lives.

Vocabulary

Genes (noun): Instructions in your body that come from your parents and affect how you look and your health.
- Example: Your “genes” help decide your eye color.
Lifestyle (noun): The way you live your life, including your habits like eating and exercising.
- Example: Eating healthy food and exercising is part of a healthy “lifestyle”.
Life expectancy (noun): The average number of years a person is expected to live.
- Example: A healthy “lifestyle” can increase your “life expectancy”.
Impact (noun): A strong effect on something.
- Example: Smoking has a bad “impact” on your health.
Genetics (noun): The study of genes and heredity.
- Example: “Genetics” helps scientists understand how traits are passed down.
Mortality risk (noun): The chance of dying.
- Example: An unhealthy lifestyle can increase your “mortality risk”.
Mitigate (verb): To make something less severe or serious.
- Example: Healthy habits can “mitigate” the risk of illness.
Predisposition (noun): The fact that someone is likely to get a particular illness or condition because of their genes.
- Example: Some people have a genetic “predisposition” to certain diseases.
Longevity (noun): Long life.
- Example: The study looked at factors affecting human “longevity”.
Attenuate (verb): To reduce the force, effect, or value of something.
- Example: Exercise can “attenuate” the negative effects of stress.

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

What are genes, according to the article?
What did the UK study find about unhealthy lifestyles and dying sooner?
What factors did the Oxford University study say were more important than genes for overall health and aging?
What are some of the healthy habits mentioned in the article?
How can healthy habits help with the effects of genes?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

What healthy habits do you think are the most important?
Is it easy or difficult to live a healthy lifestyle in your country?
Besides lifestyle and genes, what else might affect how long someone lives?
Do you think people worry too much about their genes and not enough about their habits?
What could make it easier for people to choose a healthy lifestyle?

Related Idiom

“Nature versus Nurture”

Meaning: This idiom is used to talk about whether a person’s character and behavior are more affected by their genes (nature) or by their environment and experiences (nurture).
Example: The study on lifestyle and genes is a good example in the “nature versus nurture” discussion.

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This article was inspired by: BBC, June 27, 2025