Using data from the same study, researchers found that higher physical activity, better diet, more education, employment, and social engagement correlate with greater intrinsic capacity.

The findings appear in The Journals of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, with plans to evaluate public health strategies targeting modifiable lifestyle factors to promote healthy longevity and earlier intervention to prevent functional decline.

An international study led by Adelaide University researchers shows that lifestyle and socioeconomic factors influence healthy aging, but the strength of these effects varies with an individual’s genetic predisposition.

Senior author Associate Professor Azmeraw Amare stresses that intrinsic capacity results from a complex biology–environment mix, underscoring policy design to sustain functional ability across adulthood and older age.

The study uses intrinsic capacity as the core measure of healthy aging, capturing the physical and mental abilities needed for daily tasks and social engagement.

Researchers emphasize that several factors are modifiable and could inform targeted prevention and health-promotion strategies to support healthy ageing and independence.

Smoking and suboptimal sleep are linked to lower intrinsic capacity; notably, long sleep has a stronger negative effect in midlife for those with certain genetic backgrounds, while a favorable genetic profile can mitigate short-sleep harm.

Overall, lifestyle interventions can be tailored to genetic profiles to better support functional ability across adulthood and aging.

Data from over 13,000 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Ageing show that higher intrinsic capacity is linked to greater physical activity, better diet, higher education, employment, and active social engagement.

Genetic predisposition can modulate how strongly socioeconomic and lifestyle factors affect intrinsic capacity, indicating a gene–environment interaction across aging.

A Mediterranean-type diet and higher educational attainment significantly benefit healthy longevity, with these benefits persisting even for individuals with lower genetic predisposition.

The research is the first to demonstrate interactions between genes and modifiable lifestyle factors in relation to intrinsic capacity, highlighting a gene–environment interplay in healthy aging.