by What if extreme heat not only leaves you exhausted, but actually let her age faster?
Scientists already know that extreme heat increases the risk of heating, cardiovascular diseases, kidney dysfunction and even death. I often see these effects in my work as a researcher examined how environmental advressors influence the aging process. So far, however, little has been investigated how warmth influences biological aging: the gradual deterioration of cells and tissues, which increases the risk of age -related diseases.
New research that my team and I have published in the journal Science Advances indicate that long -term exposure to extreme warmth can accelerate biological aging at the molecular level and cause concerns about long -term health risks from a warming climate.
The hidden tribute of the extreme heat on the body
My colleagues and I examined blood samples from over 3,600 older adults in the USA. We measured their biological age based on epigenetic watches, the DNA modification pattern – methylation – capture that change with age.
The DNA methylation refers to chemical modifications to DNA, which act like switches to switch on and off genes. Environmental factors can influence these switches and change the functioning of genes and influence aging and disease risk over time. The measurement of these changes due to epigenetic watches can significantly predict the risk and lifespan of age -related diseases.
Research in animal models has shown that extreme heat can trigger the so -called epigenetic memory or permanent changes in the DNA methylation pattern. Studies show that a single episode of extreme heat stress can lead to long-term shifts of DNA methylation over various tissue types in mice. In order to test the effects of heat stress on people, we have connected epigenetic climate data with climate documents to assess whether people who live in hotter environments have faster biological aging.
We found that older adults who live in areas with frequent very hot days showed a significantly faster epigenetic aging compared to the people living in cooler regions. For example, participants who lived in places with at least 140 extreme heat days per year – as days on which the heat index exceeded fahrenheit (32.33 degrees Celcius) exceeded – experienced up to 14 months of additional biological aging compared to ranging with less than 10 days a year.
This connection between organic age and extreme warmth remained even after taking a variety of individual and municipal factors such as physical activity and socio -economic status. This means that even in people with similar lifestyles, those who live in hot surroundings may still age faster at a biological level.
The extent of the effect was even more surprising – extreme heat has a comparable influence on acceleration of aging than smoking and strong alcohol consumption. This indicates that heat exposure accelerates the aging and corresponds to other important environmental and lifestyle stress factors at A level.
Long -term consequences of public health
While our study illuminates the connection between heat and organic aging, many unanswered questions remain. It is important to clarify that our results do not mean every further year in extreme warmth that biological aging is used directly to 14 additional months. Instead, our research reflects the differences at the population level between groups based on their local heat exposure. In other words, we have made a snapage of entire population groups at a moment; It was not designed in such a way that it examined the effects on individual people.
Our study also does not record all the possibilities of how people could protect themselves from extreme heat. Factors such as access to air conditioning, time outdoors and professional exposure play a role in the design of personal heat exposure and their effects. Some people can be more resilient, while others are exposed to higher risks due to existing health states or socio -economic obstacles. This is an area in which more research is required.
However, it is clear that extreme warmth is more than just an immediate health risk, and you can accelerate the aging process in silence, with long-term consequences for public health.
Older adults are particularly susceptible because aging reduces the body’s ability to effectively regulate the temperature. Many older people also occupy medication such as beta blockers and diuretics that can affect their heat tolerance, making it even more difficult for their body to deal with high temperatures. Even moderately hot days, such as
Since the US population is quickly aging and climate change is intensified worldwide, I think that it is not realistic to tell people that they should change in cooler regions. The development of age -appropriate solutions that enable older adults to remain safe in their communities and protect the most endangered population groups could help to commit the hidden, yet significant effects of extreme warmth.
This article will be released from the conversation, a non -profit, independent news organization that brings you facts and trustworthy analyzes to help you understand our complex world. It was written by: Eunyoung Choi, University of Southern California
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Eunyoung Choi receives funds from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Alternating.
