Is epigenetics the key to understanding health and insurance risk?
02 September 2025
1.1 min read
Traditionally, rating factors such as age, sex and smoking status have been used by life insurers to manage risk and set premiums. The drive towards more personalised risk assessment, combined with unprecedented technological process, however, are creating possibilities for innovation that, until now, were the stuff of imagination.
One such area of innovation is the use of epigenetics in life insurance risk management and pricing. Genetics refers to the study of heredity, i.e. the qualities or traits passed on from parents to children because of changes in the DNA sequence. Epigenetics refers to anything above the level of a gene – characteristics that can be influenced by environmental or behavioural factors, such as diet, exercise and smoking status.
In this video, consulting actuary, Christelle Oosthuizen, explores some of the benefits of using epigenetics in the life insurance industry, such as improving the accuracy of underwriting, pricing and managing insurance risk, to name a few examples.
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