Living with extreme heat might make you age faster
1 min read
Summary
On Wednesday, a journal published a study that found older adults who are exposed to extreme heat may age faster than those who live in cooler climates, and the impact on the body could be comparable to the effects of smoking.
Researchers from the University of Southern California analysed 3,686 samples collected from adults over 55 in the US between 2010 and 2016, comparing them with external heat index data.
They discovered that the greater the exposure to extreme heat, the higher the increase in epigenetic age, with people living in places where the heat index is over 90F half the year ageing up to 14 months faster than those living in cooler areas.
The study’s authors said that air conditioning usage and other factors which affect personal exposure must be taken into consideration.