Does height shorten life? Is there a group of people who practically never get cancer? And can a test done once in a lifetime become a recipe for how to live in order to live long? In the fifth episode of the podcast "A Plan for a Long Life", Mirosław Borowicz and Dr Włodzimierz Kubiak continue their conversation with a geneticist from the Polish Academy of Sciences about what science knows about hormones, the genome and the future of personalised medicine.
About the "A Plan for a Long Life" podcast
"A Plan for a Long Life" is a podcast by Proxin Development – a Poznań-based developer with over 19 years of experience, the first in Poland to build the philosophy of longevity into the DNA of its development. Proxin is a company for which a property is an environment in which people are meant to live better, longer and on their own terms.
The podcast is hosted by Mirosław Borowicz – a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor with many years of experience in real estate projects, the creator of the Izera Park concept – and Dr Włodzimierz Kubiak – a physician, graduate of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences and an enthusiast of lifestyle medicine and longevity.
Episode 5: Hormones, genes and genetic tests as a roadmap to health
The guest of the fifth episode is once again Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD – a medical geneticist, graduate of the Medical Academy in Poznań, a researcher at the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a specialist in the genetics of cancer and longevity, and the author of 65 scientific publications cited over 2,300 times in the world's leading journals. He is also a world champion among doctors in tennis, a paraglider pilot and an active sportsman.
The fifth episode is a direct continuation of the fourth – the speakers return to topics there was no time for and go deeper into hormones, obesity, cancer and the future of genetic testing.
Odejrzyj 4 odcinek podcastu "Plan Na Długie Życie"
Height and longevity – a surprising relationship
The conversation opens with a subject that rarely appears in the debate about longevity – the link between height and lifespan. Professor Przybylski confirms that the scientific data here is unambiguous.
"Taller people live shorter lives than shorter people. Those who live longest are slightly below average height. For women that means below 160 cm, for men below 170 cm. Lifespan clearly drops in very tall people – men over two metres." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Mirosław Borowicz reacts with humour, quickly calculating his own height. The professor reassures him – being tall has many advantages: greater success, better results in sport, more frequent leadership careers. Most US presidents have been taller than the population average. The mechanism that shortens the lives of tall people is linked to growth hormone – an anabolic hormone that increases cell proliferation. The more cells divide, the greater the risk that something will go wrong.
Laron dwarfs – the people who don't get cancer
One of the most interesting threads of the episode is the story of a group of people in South America who form a natural genetic experiment and shed new light on the role of growth hormone in cancer processes.
"The human equivalent of knockout mice are the Laron dwarfs – a group in South America with a mutated growth-hormone receptor. They are very short, around 140–150 cm. And in practice they don't get cancer at all, nor do they develop type 2 diabetes." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
The mechanism is precise: without the active IGF-1 pathway triggered by growth hormone, cells divide more slowly, and the risk of a mutation leading to cancer drops dramatically. It is the same phenomenon observed earlier in mice with a disabled growth-hormone receptor – they live longer and healthier lives.
Testosterone and anabolic hormones – when they help and when they harm
Professor Przybylski addresses the widespread use of testosterone among middle-aged men – a trend that has been growing for years and whose health consequences are increasingly well documented.
"Testosterone levels fall with age, and that is normal and physiological. In some people the level really does drop very low, and there replacement therapy is indicated. But using high doses and pushing testosterone above the physiological level is certainly harmful." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
The professor recalls an observation that should give pause to anyone using anabolic hormones without medical indication:
"Recently we've had a real epidemic of deaths among fitness trainers and bodybuilders in their thirties and forties. There was a lot about it in the media. There were a great many of these deaths." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
The side effects of excessive testosterone supplementation are above all cardiovascular conditions and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes – the same mechanisms seen with excessive growth-hormone levels.
Why do women live longer, and is that always an advantage?
Professor Przybylski explains the evolutionary and hormonal basis of the difference in lifespan between women and men – a difference that is exceptionally large in Poland, at around 7 years.
"This difference is linked to testosterone. Boys used to be castrated so they could sing in choirs or serve in harems. And eunuchs lived considerably longer than the general population. Both testosterone and growth hormone limit lifespan." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Dr Kubiak adds an important observation – women's longer lives do not always mean better ones:
"Statistics have shown that a very large proportion of women in later life are in dramatically poor health. On average, women spend the last 17 years of their lives in very poor health. This is an important aspect too – it shows that simply reaching old age without good quality of life is not the goal." – Dr Włodzimierz Kubiak
Professor Przybylski confirms it: men as a rule die healthier – sooner and in better physical shape, most often from cardiovascular diseases, which account for almost 50% of all deaths.
Genetic tests – from billions of dollars to affordability for everyone
The conversation moves to a thread that is becoming increasingly relevant in the world of longevity – whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and its practical use in preventive health. Professor Przybylski sketches a story that sounds like a tale of technological progress:
"The first human genome was sequenced 23 years ago. The first sequencing cost USD 4 billion. Then it began to fall dramatically in price – just like computers or memory. Once it dropped below USD 1,000, it became viable commercially. And such tests can already be carried out." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Today a WGS test can identify 300 to 600 genetic variants known to be linked to health. That is still a fraction of the information contained in the genome, but already enough to give practical guidance on the risk of hereditary cancers, metabolic diseases or drug reactivity.
When does a genetic test make sense – and when is it still too early?
The hosts ask directly: is it worth doing a WGS test today? The professor's answer is precise and free of marketing enthusiasm.
"At the moment it's a little like art for art's sake, because we can read very little of this information in practice. We get a description, not a sequence. Artificial intelligence searches the results and checks whether any variants have a described clinical significance. Most results would most likely be negative, because if someone has lived to our age, their genome is quite good." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
So when does a test have real value? Professor Przybylski points to two situations: when there have been genetic diseases or hereditary cancers in the family, and in young people who have their whole lives ahead of them and can make the best use of the growing knowledge about the genome.
"The earlier a test is done, the greater its usefulness. Many things have not yet revealed themselves. And a young person has 70–80 years ahead of them, and I can hardly imagine how much we'll know about our genome in those 70 years." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Hereditary, environmental and sporadic cancers – how to tell them apart
The professor explains a classification of cancers that is crucial to understanding when genetic prevention is essential and when healthy habits are enough. Hereditary cancers – such as breast cancer with a BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation (with a risk of developing it estimated at as much as 70%) – require conscious medical decisions. One example is Angelina Jolie, who on the basis of a genetic test decided on preventive surgery and most likely avoided her mother's fate. Environmental cancers, in turn, have well-documented causes – tobacco smoke contains benzopyrene, which binds directly to DNA and introduces mutations. Lung cancer among smokers is not chance, but a mechanism.
"Even if the car is fully functional, we are rested and we haven't been drinking, there's no 100% guarantee that nothing will happen. A tractor might pull out of a field, or there might be another drunk driver. It's the same with sporadic cancers – we don't know why they appear. The person simply had the bad luck that a mutation occurred in an important gene." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Pharmacogenetics – why we react differently to the same drug
Professor Przybylski opens up one more area of application for genetic tests – pharmacogenetics, the prediction of the body's response to drugs.
"If we give 100 patients the same drug, they react very differently: some very well, others poorly, and in some there are strong adverse effects. All of this is written in the genes. And this is information that can be read from a genome sequence done once." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
An example: anthracyclines – drugs used as standard in treating breast cancer – cause subsequent heart failure in around 10% of patients. These women are cured of the cancer but die from cardiac complications. Genome testing before treatment could predict this and allow a safer alternative to be chosen.
The genome as a recipe for life – a vision of the future of medicine
Towards the end of the conversation, the hosts and the professor outline a vision that is becoming increasingly real in the world of longevity – personalised medicine based on knowledge of one's own genome.
Mirosław Borowicz sums up the direction:
"We're talking about a high level of prevention and diagnostics. Genetic testing is the key to personalised medicine – the answer to the question of what a given person should do, both in terms of medical intervention and lifestyle. It should be an absolute roadmap." – Mirosław Borowicz
Professor Przybylski confirms and adds:
"That is exactly how I see the future of genetic tests: as a recipe for life. How we should live, what to do and what to avoid in order to live long and in good health. This is actually something that is already happening. The tests are getting cheaper and offering more and more. Some companies guarantee a free update for three years, because knowledge about the genome is growing faster than anyone expected." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Dr Kubiak adds a psychological dimension, referring back to an earlier episode with Anita Szajek-Żurczak:
"More or less everyone knows this recipe for life. But perhaps scientific confirmation – telling you, look, you have specific predispositions, and if you don't do this, the consequences will be such-and-such – will give people the strength of argument they lack to implement change." – Dr Włodzimierz Kubiak
What does a professor of genetics do for his own health?
The hosts ask the question that best sums up the entire conversation: what does a professor of genetics, a man who knows more about genes than almost anyone, do for his own health? The answer is simple and telling.
"I haven't done any genetic tests so far, although I suspect I'll do a whole-genome test soon and persuade my family to do it too. As for what I do: I play sport almost every day. I've played tennis since childhood. I cycle, and I mostly leave the car in the garage. I ski every winter. And eight years ago I started paragliding." – Professor Grzegorz Przybylski, MD, PhD
Mirosław Borowicz draws the conclusion:
"A professor of genetics, who knows the most about genetics, puts a great deal of effort into his lifestyle. Physical exercise, care for his health, even though genetically he's in very good shape. So this confirms it: the other 50% really does depend on us." – Mirosław Borowicz
Three principles from the fifth episode
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Anabolic hormones used outside medical indications shorten life. Testosterone and growth hormone taken to improve physique or wellbeing increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. The cases of sudden death among fitness trainers and bodybuilders in their thirties and forties are not accidental.
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Genetic tests are becoming a roadmap to health, but their value grows over time. Today, whole-genome sequencing gives practical guidance on hereditary cancers and pharmacogenetics. In 20–30 years it will be a recipe for a whole life. The earlier it is done, the more can be drawn from it.
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The best gene specialists invest in lifestyle, not supplements. A professor of genetics from the Polish Academy of Sciences, who has studied DNA all his life, uses no hormones or performance-enhancing substances himself. He plays tennis, cycles and has flown paragliders. That is his longevity strategy.
Izera Park – a development built on the philosophy of longevity
If you are hearing about Izera Park for the first time, it is a development with no equivalent in Poland. Izera Park is being built in Świeradów-Zdrój, in the heart of the Izera Mountains – a spa town with over 250 years of health tradition, famous for its radon waters and exceptional microclimate. It is a place that in itself benefits the body: clean mountain air, quiet, forest and contact with nature – environmental factors that science has long linked to a longer and healthier life.
The development consists of 70 apartments in two intimate buildings, with varied floor areas suited both to personal use and to renting. Each apartment is full ownership – with no hotel restrictions and no obligation to rent. You use it when you want. You rent it if you want. You decide.
What sets Izera Park apart from every other mountain development in Poland is a thoughtful ecosystem created with health and longevity in mind:
- A façade of natural board charred using the Japanese Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban) method – a centuries-old technique that gives the buildings a unique dark character and lets the architecture blend into the forest surroundings of the Izera Mountains.
- Izera Longevity Center – a dedicated service unit on the development's grounds, housing a Longevity Centre studio with priority access for residents. Yoga, training and health workshops – the philosophy of lifestyle medicine put into everyday practice.
- Ganbanyoku saunas – Japanese infrared saunas with a stone plate, supporting deep regeneration and detoxification without the extreme temperatures of a traditional Finnish sauna.
- A yoga room – a space for daily movement and breathwork, available to residents as a permanent part of the infrastructure.
- A natural stream on the development's grounds – no other aparthotel in the area offers anything similar. Water, sound and the closeness of nature right outside the window. A genuine space for regeneration, not a marketing add-on.
All apartments are designed with a view of the Izera Mountains. The gondola lift is just 500 metres away.
Izera Park is not another hotel development geared towards guest turnover. It is an intimate place for people who understand that the environment of everyday life – clean air, nature, community, calm and access to wellness infrastructure – is just as important as diet and movement. For those who want to play their genetic cards as well as possible.
Get in touch with the Proxin team: sprzedaz@proxin.pl / +48 603 711 805 / izerapark.pl
