The Genetics of How Long You’ll Live

By Dr. John Neustadt

Massive progress has been made in increasing human longevity. Today, we think nothing of people living to seventy and beyond, with an increasing number living to 100. 

This raises the important question: How much do genetics influence longevity? Longevity runs in families, but how much of it is determined by your genetics versus lifestyle and environmental factors? 

Longevity Throughout History

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had an estimated lifespan of 25 years. Even well into the 1700s, life expectancy in England (the second richest country in the world behind the Netherlands) was a paltry 37 years. 

Once better sanitation, such as clean water and waste removal, was implemented in England in the mid-1800s, infectious disease deaths decreased by 95%. The invention of antibiotics in the 1900s further improved life expectancy.¹  According to the CDC, current life expectancy in the USA is 80.2 years for women and 77.5 years for men.

Longevity Genetics

Previous research estimated the inheritability of longevity by looking at birth and death records from families in New England, twins in Denmark and Sweden, an Amish community, and Utah genealogical data. Based on these studies, researchers concluded that about 15-33% of someone’s lifespan is inherited.^2-7 However, additional research, such as a 2012 study into the longevity of siblings and spouses of centenarians in Quebec, showed that the lifespan of spouses within communities was similar to blood relations.⁸ This indicated that genetics may not be as important as once believed.

Using new modeling of how different factors influence longevity, researchers concluded that genes account for less than 10% of life expectancy.⁹ This means that 90% of your biological risk of dying is in your control. You can do many things to reach your full genetic potential for a long life.  

Maximize Your Life Expectancy

To live as many years as possible, the research shows that diet, exercise, lifestyle, and environmental toxin exposure impact how long you live. Not only that, but optimizing each of these determinants of health also increases the likelihood that you’ll be healthy enough to enjoy your longer life well into old age.  Here are some examples of what you can do:  

Maintain a social life
Having an active social life and social support are associated with a 30% reduction in all-cause mortality, including dying from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.¹⁰ Other research concluded that poor social support is associated with a faster loss of hip BMD and worse recovery from hip fractures.^11,12 So call a friend, make plans, get out, and do stuff with others, as I discuss in my book, Fracture-Proof Your Bones.

Build muscle
Skeletal muscle is important for balance, strength, and stability, catching yourself when you stumble and preventing falls. Low muscle mass causes insulin resistance and diabetes and is associated with an up to 258% increase in dying from any cause compared to people with healthy amounts of muscle.^13,14 In fact, every 0.39 inch (1 centimeter) increase in thigh circumference is associated with a 4% reduction in all-cause mortality.¹⁵  

Fortunately, it’s never too late to build muscle. A clinical trial with volunteers 65 to older than 85 years showed that resistance exercise builds muscle. Twelve weeks of whole-body resistance exercises done three times a week significantly increased muscle mass and strength in all ages.¹⁶  

To build muscle, it’s also important to get enough protein. Importantly, how much you need increases as people get older. People 65 or older should consume about 0.60 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily, which is about 75% more than the US Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) for protein.¹⁷  

Eat a plant-forward diet
A systematic review and meta-analysis that evaluated the impact of nutrition on longevity concluded that certain foods are associated with longer telomere length and a reduction in all-cause mortality. Eating whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and drinking coffee is associated with lower all-cause mortality. In contrast, a high intake of red meat, especially processed meat, increases all-cause mortality. Regarding overall dietary patterns, the Mediterranean Diet reduces all-cause mortality risk.¹⁸ 

Get adequate vitamin K and D
Emerging research points to the synergistic effects of vitamins K and D on all-cause mortality. For decades, clinical trials have shown that combining Vitamin K2 (as MK4) with Vitamin D3 promotes healthy bone density and maintains strong bones.  

Over 25 clinical trials involving over 7000 people show that MK4 (45 mg/day in divided doses) maintains strong bones.^19-21 Several clinical trials demonstrated that combining MK4+D3 provides greater benefits than MK4 alone.  

A two-year clinical trial with 172 women (average age 53) showed that taking MK4+D3 increased bone density by 2-5%. Not only did bone mineral density significantly increase more in the MK4+D3 group compared to the other groups, but this improvement was already evident after just six months of taking the nutrients.²² Other research supports the synergistic effects of these nutrients on bone health.²³ All NBI’s MK4+D3 formulas are guaranteed to promote healthy bone density and maintain strong bones.  

Conversely, not having enough of these nutrients is associated with increased all-cause mortality. A 2021 study determined that the combination of having low vitamin K and D is associated with a 46% increase in all-cause mortality.²⁴ Clearly, for many people, supplementing with MK4+D3 is important. 

Get enough omega-3 fatty acids
Healthy omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain and heart health. Two long-chain omega-3 fats, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been extensively studied for their health benefits. A meta-analysis that reviewed data from 17 clinical trials with 42,466 volunteers concluded higher blood EPA and DHA levels are associated with a 16% decrease in all-cause mortality.²⁵ 

Similarly, better cardiovascular health is associated with higher blood omega-3 levels. One way to test your omega-3s is with the omega-3 index test.  This test gives you a percentage of the amount of EPA+DHA in your blood. In randomized, controlled clinical trials, increasing the omega-3 index promoted cardiovascular health, including supporting healthy blood pressure, healthy heart rate variability, and healthy cholesterol and inflammation balance.   

An omega-3 index of >8% has been proposed as the optimal level to support cardiovascular health. The average omega-3 index in the United States is about 4%, meaning most people need more EPA+DHA.^26,27 Best Catch Omegas supports healthy EPA and DHA levels and is guaranteed to increase your omega-3 index.

Get enough sleep
People who sleep less than six hours a night are two times more likely to suffer high blood pressure, four times more likely to suffer major depression, and have a 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who get enough sleep.²⁸ Studies show that not getting enough sleep reduces quality of life as much as having congestive heart failure and major depressive disorders.^28,29 

Move your body
Being sedentary for more than eight hours a day increases the risk of death from any cause, and the longer you’re sitting around, the greater your risk of dying.³⁰ One study found that women who sat for 11 or more hours a day had a 52% higher risk of death than women who sat for less than eight hours per day.³¹ A 2015 meta-analysis found that not exercising increases your risk of dying from heart disease and cancer by nearly 20%.³² 

Moderate physical activity is associated with decreasing hip fracture risk by 45%.³³ That’s better than bisphosphonates like alendronate (Fosamax) and Zometa. Moderate exercise means you’re moving enough to be a bit winded but can still carry on a conversation; however, you won’t be able to sing. Similarly, you know you’re doing vigorous exercise if you’re so winded you can’t continue a conversation.  

People start experiencing the benefits with only 15 minutes of exercise a day.³⁴ People who did this lost weight, improved their blood pressure and blood sugar control and reduced their risk of cancer and death. Similar results can be achieved with 5-10 minutes of vigorous exercise (such as jogging) per day. If you have a medical diagnosis, such as osteoporosis, you might need to modify your exercise to ensure it’s safe. 

Even walking reduces your risk of dying. Walking just 7,000 steps per day is associated with a 50-70% decrease in all-cause mortality compared to more sedentary people.³⁵ Additional studies have concluded that people can lower their risk of dying by walking about 7,000 to 7,500 steps daily.^{36, 37}

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