Healthy living and DNA: BBC News Review

Summary

The video script from BBC Learning English's News Review discusses the impact of a healthy lifestyle on life expectancy, even when considering genetic factors. The script introduces the findings of a significant study that suggests leading a healthy life can potentially add five years to one's lifespan, despite genetic predispositions. It emphasizes the importance of regular exercise, a balanced diet, abstaining from smoking, and getting sufficient sleep as key habits that can help extend life. The vocabulary words 'prolong', 'offset', and 'tweaks' are highlighted to help viewers understand the news story in English. The discussion also clarifies that 'prolong' is typically used for extending time, 'offset' is used to describe balancing negative effects with positive actions, and 'tweaks' refer to minor adjustments that can lead to significant outcomes. The video encourages viewers to subscribe for more English language learning through news headlines.

Takeaways

• 🧬 DNA can influence life expectancy, but a healthy lifestyle can still make a significant difference.
• 🏃‍♂️ Regular exercise, a healthy diet, no smoking, and sufficient sleep are habits that can extend life.
• 🧐 A new study explored the possibility of reducing the negative impact of genetics on life expectancy through a healthy lifestyle.
• 📚 The study is the first of its kind, providing insights into the balance between genetics and lifestyle choices.
• 📈 The research suggests that a healthy lifestyle could prolong life by up to five years, despite genetic predispositions.
• 🔄 The term 'prolong' is used to extend the duration of time, often in a positive context.
• ⚖️ 'Offset' refers to counterbalancing negative effects, such as the negative impact of genetics, with positive lifestyle choices.
• 🛠️ 'Tweaks' are small changes or adjustments that can lead to significant outcomes, like extending life expectancy.
• 🌱 An example of offsetting is carbon offsetting, where actions like planting trees are taken to counteract the negative effects of carbon emissions.
• 📉 'Counter-balance' and 'neutralise' are similar to 'offset', aiming to restore balance or remove negative impacts.
• 📰 The headlines from the Independent, the Guardian, and the Daily Mail all highlight the potential of a healthy lifestyle to overcome genetic disadvantages.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the BBC Learning English News Review?

The main topic of discussion is how a healthy lifestyle might add five years to one's life, despite genetic predispositions.

What is the first habit mentioned in the script that can extend life?

The first habit mentioned is regular exercise.

What is the meaning of the word 'prolong' as used in the context of the news story?

'Prolong' is a verb used to indicate the extension of time, specifically in the context of extending life or duration of an event.

How is the pronunciation of the word 'prolong' described in the script?

The word 'prolong' has two syllables with the stress on the second syllable, and the 'o' in the first part sounds like 'uh'.

What is the meaning of the word 'offset' in the context of the news story?

'Offset' is used to describe the action of reducing the negative impact of genetics on life expectancy by living a healthy lifestyle, thus balancing the effects.

What is an example of 'offset' used in a different context mentioned in the script?

An example given is carbon offsetting, where the negative effects of burning carbon are reduced by doing something positive, such as planting trees.

What does the term 'tweaks' refer to in the context of the Daily Mail headline?

In the context of the headline, 'tweaks' refers to small changes or slight adjustments to one's lifestyle that can potentially extend life by five years.

What are some synonyms for the word 'tweaks' as mentioned in the script?

Synonyms for 'tweaks' include 'small changes' or 'slight adjustments'.

What is the significance of the study mentioned in the news review?

The study is significant as it is the first of its kind to explore whether the negative impact of genetics on life expectancy can be reduced by a healthy lifestyle.

What are the four lifestyle tweaks suggested in the Daily Mail headline to potentially add five years to life?

The specific four lifestyle tweaks are not detailed in the transcript, but the context implies they are related to a healthy lifestyle, which includes regular exercise, a healthy diet, no smoking, and getting enough sleep.

What is the advice given to the audience at the end of the script regarding learning more English from news headlines?

The advice given is to subscribe to the BBC Learning English channel to never miss another video and to click on the provided link to learn more language related to health and fitness.

What is the purpose of the vocabulary section in the News Review from BBC Learning English?

The purpose of the vocabulary section is to help the audience understand and learn key words and phrases necessary for discussing the news story in English.

Outlines

00:00

🧬 The Impact of Genetics and Healthy Lifestyle on Lifespan

This paragraph discusses the influence of genetics on life expectancy and how a healthy lifestyle can potentially add five years to one's life, regardless of genetic predispositions. The segment introduces the News Review from BBC Learning English, where the hosts, Neil and Georgie, aim to help viewers understand English news headlines. They delve into the first-of-its-kind study that investigates if a healthy lifestyle can mitigate the negative genetic impact on longevity. The habits mentioned for life extension include regular exercise, a balanced diet, abstaining from smoking, and getting sufficient sleep. The vocabulary highlighted for understanding the story includes 'prolong,' 'offset,' and 'tweaks.' The hosts also discuss the pronunciation and usage of 'prolong,' and provide examples of its application in different contexts, emphasizing its relevance to time and duration.

05:01

🏃‍♂️ Lifestyle Tweaks to Outrun Bad Genes

The second paragraph focuses on the notion that one can 'outrun' their DNA, implying that despite genetic predispositions, making certain lifestyle changes can significantly impact life expectancy. The term 'tweaks' is explored, which refers to minor adjustments or modifications. The paragraph uses the context of the headline from the Daily Mail, which suggests that four simple lifestyle adjustments can add an extra five years to one's life. Georgie and Neil provide examples of how 'tweaks' can be applied in various scenarios, such as adjusting a financial budget or modifying a recipe to accommodate dietary restrictions. They also note that 'tweaks' can function as both a noun and a verb, illustrating its flexibility in language use. The segment concludes with an invitation for viewers interested in learning more about language related to health and fitness and a reminder to subscribe to their channel for more content.

Keywords

💡Healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle refers to a way of living that promotes well-being and prevents disease. It typically includes regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking. In the video, it's emphasized that a healthy lifestyle can potentially add five years to one's lifespan, regardless of genetic predispositions, which is the central theme of the discussion.

💡Life expectancy

Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average number of years a person is expected to live, based on factors such as age, gender, health, and lifestyle. The video discusses how a healthy lifestyle can positively impact life expectancy, even in the face of negative genetic factors.

💡Genetics

Genetics refers to the study of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. In the context of the video, genetics is mentioned as a factor that can influence how long a person lives. However, it is also highlighted that the negative impact of genetics on life expectancy can be mitigated by leading a healthy life.

💡Prolong

'Prolong' is a verb that means to extend the length of something. In the video, it is used to describe how a healthy lifestyle can 'prolong' life, specifically by potentially adding five years to one's life expectancy. The term is also discussed in a guessing game to illustrate its appropriate usage, emphasizing that it's typically related to time.

💡Offset

'Offset' is a verb that means to counterbalance or compensate for something. In the context of the video, it is used to describe how a healthy lifestyle can 'offset' the negative effects of genetics on life expectancy. The term is further explained through the analogy of carbon offsetting, where positive actions are taken to balance out negative ones.

💡Tweaks

A 'tweak' refers to a minor change or adjustment. In the video, 'tweaks' are mentioned to signify small, manageable lifestyle changes that can lead to significant health benefits, such as adding years to one's life. The term is used to suggest that these changes are not overly complicated or difficult, making them more accessible to the audience.

💡Regular exercise

Regular exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, which involves engaging in physical activities with consistency to maintain or improve health. The video emphasizes the importance of regular exercise as one of the habits that can extend life, highlighting its role in countering the potential negative effects of genetics.

💡Healthy diet

A healthy diet consists of consuming a variety of nutrients from different food groups in the right proportions to maintain good health. In the video, a healthy diet is listed as one of the lifestyle habits that can contribute to a longer life, underscoring the impact of nutrition on life expectancy.

💡No smoking

The act of not smoking is highlighted in the video as a positive lifestyle choice that can contribute to a longer life. Smoking is known to have detrimental effects on health, and abstaining from it is presented as a simple yet effective way to improve life expectancy.

💡Enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for the body's recovery and overall well-being. The video includes 'getting enough sleep' as one of the lifestyle habits that can extend life, indicating the importance of proper rest and sleep in maintaining health and potentially increasing life expectancy.

💡News Review

News Review is a segment from BBC Learning English that aims to help viewers understand news headlines in English. In the video, News Review is the format used to discuss the topic of how a healthy lifestyle can impact life expectancy. It serves as an educational tool to not only inform but also to enhance English language skills related to the news story.

💡Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the set of words known to a person or in a particular subject area. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the specific words and concepts that viewers need to understand in order to grasp the news story about the impact of a healthy lifestyle on life expectancy. The video focuses on teaching the vocabulary words 'prolong', 'offset', and 'tweaks'.

Highlights

A healthy lifestyle might add five years to your life, regardless of your genetic predispositions.

BBC Learning English's News Review helps understand English news headlines.

New research suggests that leading a healthy life can mitigate the negative impact of genetics on life expectancy.

The study is the first of its kind to explore the interaction between genetics and lifestyle on life expectancy.

Habits that can extend life include regular exercise, a healthy diet, no smoking, and sufficient sleep.

The vocabulary needed to discuss this story includes 'prolong', 'offset', and 'tweaks'.

A vast study from the Independent shows that healthy living could prolong lives by five years.

'Prolong' is a verb used for extending time and has stress on the second syllable.

The word 'offset' is used when a healthy lifestyle can balance the negative genetic impact on life expectancy.

Carbon offsetting is an example of using 'offset' to balance negative with positive actions.

The Daily Mail headline suggests that simple lifestyle 'tweaks' can help overcome bad genetics.

A 'tweak' is a small change or adjustment, often making a task seem more manageable.

The term 'tweaks' can be used as both a noun and a verb in different contexts.

Making small changes or 'tweaks' can extend life and is metaphorically described as 'outrunning bad genes'.

The News Review provides language related to health and fitness for further learning.

Subscribing to the BBC Learning English channel ensures access to more English language learning content.

The program concludes with an invitation to learn more and a reminder to subscribe for regular updates.

Transcripts

A healthy lifestyle might add five years to your life,

despite your genes.

This is News Review from BBC Learning English,

where we help you understand news headlines in English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Georgie.

Make sure you watch to the end to learn the vocabulary

you need to talk about this story.

And don't forget to subscribe to our channel,

so that you can learn more English from news headlines.

Now, the story.

Your DNA can influence how long you live.

But it's still worth leading a healthy life,

according to new research. In the first study of its kind,

scientists explored whether the negative impact of genetics

on life expectancy could be reduced by a healthy lifestyle.

Habits to extend life include regular exercise, a healthy diet,

no smoking and getting enough sleep.

You've been looking at the headlines Georgie,

what's the vocabulary

people need to understand this news story in English?

We have 'prolong', 'offset' and 'tweaks'.

This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

Let's have our first headline.

This one's from the Independent.

Vast study shows healthy living could prolong the lives of some by five years.

So, this headline is about a vast study.

That means a very large-scale piece of academic research.

The word that we are looking at though is 'prolong'.

It's a verb and it has the word 'long' inside it, Georgie.

So are we talking about making something longer?

Yes, Neil.

But you can use 'prolong' for some things and not others.

So, do you want to do a guessing game? Yes, please.

I'll give you some examples where you can use it

and where you can't, and you can guess the rule.

So, I can prolong a meeting, healthy living can prolong our lives,

But if I... if my trousers are too short and I want to make them longer,

I can't prolong them.

No, you're right.

You can lengthen them, so your quiz...

I'm guessing that 'prolong' is used for

time. Is that right?

  That is right Neil. Well done!

OK, a note on the pronunciation of this word 'prolong'.

It's got two syllables,

the stress is on the second.

And so the 'o' in the first part

sounds like 'uh' prolong, prolong.

Anything else you can tell us, Georgie?

Yes, well quite often, not always, we use it in quite a negative sense.

So, it's used to talk about delay a lot or

time that has extended that we don't want.

So, if you're sick,

you should rest to recover,

because we don't want to prolong the illness.

In a construction project,

if the materials are out of stock for a while,

this could prolong the process.

It could extend the date for completion.

Yes, and we don't want this explanation to go on too long.

We don't want to prolong it, don't want it to be too boring.

Let's look at that again.

Let's have a look at our next headline.

This one is from the Guardian.

Healthy lifestyle may offset genetics by 60%

and add five years to life, study says.

So, this headline says

that if you have DNA that could negatively impact

how long you live, a healthy lifestyle could reduce that effect.

Now I think the word we really want to look at here

Georgie is 'offset'. Is that right?

Yes. So, if your genes might reduce your life expectancy,

living healthily might actually help to bring that life expectancy back up.

It offsets the negative effects of genetics.

It brings about a kind of balance.

Yes, and an example of this word 'offset' that's used a lot

at the moment is carbon offsetting.

So, we have this idea of doing something good, planting trees,

to reduce the negative effects of doing something bad, burning carbon.

So, we offset the bad thing with something good.

Is there anything else to say about this?

Yes, we've got a couple of similar words.

One is 'counter-balance', which is about re-finding that balance.

We've also got 'neutralise' which is about taking away

the bad and adding some good. So, quite similar.

OK, let's look at that again.

Let's have our next headline.

This one is from the Daily Mail.

Proof you can outrun bad genes with just four lifestyle tweaks

- and it'll give you an extra five years of life.

So, this headline says that we can outrun our DNA.

That means 'to get ahead of' in a metaphorical sense,

but we're looking at the word 'tweaks'.

That's a nice little word, Georgie.

It sounds like the noise that a bird makes - 'tweak tweak' is that right?

Erm, Neil, no. That is a 'tweet'.

Here, a 'tweak' means a small change or a slight adjustment

to something, anything.

So, here in the headline - 'just four lifestyle tweaks'.

They're trying to make the change

sound easy and small, so that you can extend your life.

Yes, some typical contexts you can use this word in:

perhaps you have a financial budget.

It's ready to go for the year ahead.

But you need to make some small changes - make some tweaks.

Perhaps also you have a favourite recipe that you want to cook for a friend

that they have an allergy.

You need to tweak that recipe, so that they don't get ill.

What else can you tell us about tweaks?

Well, in the headline, we see it as a noun.

It often goes with the verb 'make' so we make a tweak,

but it can also be used as a verb.

So, for example, yesterday

I wrote this script.

But this morning before coming into the studio, Neil and I tweaked the script

a bit to make sure that it was ready for today.

Yes, we made just some small changes, some tweaks,

because it was basically brilliant, wasn't it?

Let's look at that again.

We've had 'prolong' - extend the duration.

'Offset' - do something good

to reduce the effect of something bad.

And 'tweaks' - small changes.

Now, if you're interested in learning more language

related to health and fitness, click here.

And don't forget to click here to subscribe to our channel,

so you never miss another video.

Thank you for joining us and goodbye. Bye.