WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study has found that long periods of extreme heat can make older adults biologically age faster by upto two years.
Researchers from the University of Southern California studied blood samples from 3,686 adults, with an average age of 68, from different socioeconomic backgrounds across the U.S. They compared changes in biological aging with the number of extremely hot days in the places where participants lived.
Extreme heat was measured using the heat index, which takes both temperature and humidity into account. To understand how heat affects the body on a biological level, researchers analyzed blood samples and tracked changes in DNA. They used three biological aging markers-PcPhenoAge, PCGrimAge, and DunedinPACE-to estimate how quickly participants were aging.
According to the National Weather Service Heat Index Chart, heat index values were categorized into three levels based on the potential risk of adverse health effects.
The 'Caution' level includes heat index values ranging from 80°F to 90°F, the 'Extreme Caution' level includes values between 90°F and 103°F, and the 'Danger' level includes values between 103°F and 124°F. Days in all three levels were included as heat days in the study.
The study examined heat exposure between 2010 and 2016. Researchers used a statistical model to compare how heat influenced aging beyond the normal rate.
The results showed that long-term heat exposure significantly sped up biological aging. For example, according to PcPhenoAge, participants aged 2.48 years more than they normally would have over six years. Instead of aging by six years in that time, their bodies aged as if 8.48 years had passed.
The study, published in Science Advances, found that prolonged exposure to extreme heat over one to six years increased biological age by 2.48 years. Even short- and mid-term heat exposure accelerated aging by about 1.07 years.
This study highlights the serious impact of extreme heat on health, especially for older adults, and underscores the importance of addressing climate change and heat-related risks.
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