A sweeping new study suggests that where you live may be just as important as your genes when it comes to how rapidly you age. Researchers led by Stanford University's Michael Snyder profiled 322 people of European, East Asian, and South Asian descent living in various parts of the world.
The study found that while ancestry sets a baseline for genetics, gut microbiome, and metabolism, relocation can alter key molecular pathways. One of the most striking findings: East Asians living outside East Asia showed faster biological aging than those who remained in the region. Conversely, Europeans living in North America had younger biological profiles than their counterparts still in Europe.
Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, pollution, and stress appear to drive these changes. The gut microbiome plays a critical role, with certain bacteria linked to sphingolipids-fats associated with cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration. The findings, published in Cell, underscore the need for precision medicine that accounts for global diversity, not just a single population.