29 Jan , 22:56
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Anxiety and stress accelerate aging: scientists have discovered how disadvantaged neighborhoods affect our bodies
American researchers have found a direct link between living in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods and premature biological aging. Moreover, a significant part of this effect is explained by emotional distress. The results of the study were published in the authoritative journal The Journals of Gerontology.
A team led by sociologist Kristine Kamis from the University of Illinois studied data from more than 1,440 Wisconsin residents. Scientists conducted one of the first comprehensive studies that simultaneously analyzed two key factors: long-term exposure to socio-economic conditions of the residential area and the level of emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and stress.
The study was based on the concept of "chains of risk" - a theory that adverse conditions in youth and middle age trigger a chain reaction of factors that undermine health in old age. The data obtained convincingly confirmed: prolonged residence in disadvantaged areas does indeed accelerate biological aging, and a considerable part of this process is associated specifically with psychological problems.
To determine biological age, scientists used three different epigenetic "clocks" that analyze changes in DNA. Two of them - PhenoAge and GrimAge - measure aging acceleration relative to chronological age, while the third, Dunedin PACE, determines the annual rate of aging. Regardless of the methodology used, the result was the same: the higher the social disadvantage of the area, the faster the body ages.
According to Dunedin PACE data, more than 60% of participants aged faster than normal, while according to the other two methods this figure was 42-46%. At the same time, neighborhood disadvantage had both a direct impact on accelerated aging and an indirect one - through increasing levels of emotional stress.
Interestingly, among various psychological factors, anxiety proved to be the key "mediator" between social conditions and biological deterioration of the body. Despite the fact that depression and stress were also taken into account, anxiety symptoms demonstrated the strongest connection. On average, about 10-13% of the impact of a disadvantaged environment on premature aging was explained by emotional distress.
The study is particularly valuable because the scientists were able to reconstruct the residential history of participants starting from 18 years of age - for some, this meant analyzing almost 50 years of life. This approach made it possible to assess not the momentary but the cumulative impact of the environment, which is rare for such studies.
The authors of the work emphasize: the results obtained do not mean that life in disadvantaged areas "inevitably" reduces life expectancy. However, they clearly demonstrate that social conditions and mental health are closely intertwined with the biological mechanisms of aging. This indicates that measures to reduce anxiety, stress, and chronic emotional tension can partially compensate for the negative consequences of living in an adverse environment - along with larger-scale socio-economic transformations.
