Extremely Hot Weather Can Age You as Much as Smoking

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Two white men in their 60s live a few hundred miles away from each other, one in Arizona and the other in the state of Washington. They have the same age and the uniform socio -economic background. They have the same practice and are almost the same physical. But the Arizona man is faster than the Washington guy – 14 months faster, to be right. People do not smoke or drink. Both regular practices. So why is this issue more than one year old at the cellular level than his opponent in the North -West of the Pacific?

Ay The study published this week This phenomenon in the Journal of the Science Advances that causes extreme heat to get more than a few million Americans older than their allies in the cool climate. Researchers are equivalent to habitual smoking effects on cellular aging.

The average temperature of the global population is increasing due to the impact of fossil fuel burning, so broad swaths of the global population are coming into contact with extreme heat More than 20,000 Americans have been killed from 1 yearThe In 2023, Phoenix, Arizona, where some people had analyzed live analysis of research, saw 31 days of temperature above 110 ° FThe Was that year The warmth year on record Globally – was a record Fast out of 2024The

Contains the above average heat exposure Seriously short-long-term health responseThe People can sustain heat-related illnesses such as dehydration and unconscious or heat stroke-the most serious form of tap-related illness that can cause death. Older adults and young children are especially risky for these effects because they have trouble making thermorolats or maintaining continuous internal temperature. Months and years of year, heat may exposure Increase the existing chronic situation further Like the kidney and cardiovascular disease, and increases the risk of a person Mental health problems And DementiaThe

The University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Zerontology and the study of the study of the research at the University’s postdotorral Geontological researcher Yun Young Choi, especially their 600s, wanted to know the consequences of extreme heat in the cellular level. He was especially interested in the “non-clinical manifestations” of heat exposure, which means he expected to capture people who were not displayed in an emergency room with the heat-related illness or heat stroke. His hypothesis was that heat was moving away from overall health, whether anyone could feel it sharply.

To test this theory, CHOI analyzed blood samples of more than 3,600 people over the age of 56 who participated in a large national health and retirement study. These participants did a blood test in 2016 or 2017. Chi and his assistant Jennifer Eylesheyer, then used weather and climate data to estimate how many “heat days” defined by the National Meteorological Service, each participant was revealed towards the date of blood test on years, months and days. They pick participants into demographic groups on the basis of race, socio -economic status, practice and other factors, and then use a series of biological tests that compare people in that group to determine how fast the cells are.

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“With exposure to long-term heat-one year and six years-of-we get a continuous connection between heat and [cellular] Age “Throughout various biological tests, Choi said. At the 90 -degree Fahrenheit for half the year, people living at 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 10 degrees or more than 10 days of temperature have achieved more than 14 months of biological aging than people living in such areas.

“This research is one of the first experience evaluations that implies that the long -term exposure of heat is directly involved in the acceleration of the aging process,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of Portland State University, who studied the impact of climate change in cities and was not involved in research. It is “associated with existing tasks that the rate of near-term mortality may result in the long-term and periodic exposure for older adults.”

Two Preceding Study People come in contact with more faster age and study in rats Consistently shows that the heat of the heat is the ageHowever, the study of the joy is the first national representative research to draw the connection. The size and variations of the pool of his subjects usually help to drown many factors that make these types of data solids. Choi did not find any major difference between demographics – it indicates that the heat damage cells across the board among older people.

The way the people did not have to account for that is the way people adapt to protect themselves from heat. Some people, especially rich Americans, may be inside with air -conditioning blasting all day and night.

Previous studies have shown that the average temperature above does not equally affect all populations. Extreme heat is especially dangerous for people living in urban areas with pachy trees and lots of concrete. These regions are called Urban Hit Islands in places like New York City and Chicago and can get them 7 degrees F hot Compared to the surrounding rural region. Where the city matches the surroundings of the heat islands Non -Sada Communities Histor Tihassically was limited by racist zoning practiceWhich is a reason which is the average person of color Comes in contact with more serious heat In urban areas more than average non-hostel white. This population is less likely to become Able to carry out air -conditioned controlThe

“We know that some demographic, such as working outside, the helpless population, the people living on the city thermal island, the prisoners in prison and the lower-income usually come in contact with extreme heat (for decades),” said Shandas. “Accordingly, we can draw these quests that some specific populations will need more attention and care that the heat waves of the heat are seen.”

Future studies will continue to spread these differences, especially in 2040’s, in 2040’s, 1 out of 5 people will be 65 or older – 1 out of 8 in 20 in 20. The results of the study of Chay are not only 50 years of age or older, but also for all ages. “I don’t think the underlying biology is significantly different,” he said. “We will expect to see some significant effects of heat in young people. And to see if any of these effects may be the opposite, we really need to track people from their birth to old age ”

This article was originally attended Greek This https://grist.org/health/extreme-heat-kellular-age-aging-smoking/The Grrist is a non -profit, independent media company that is dedicated to climate solutions and equitable future stories. Learn more Grist.org