It’s good Known that heat causes exhaustion in the body due to dehydration. But aging?
AND Last examination He came to the conclusion that extreme heat accelerates the aging of the human body, which is a disturbing fact, taking into account the growing frequency of thermal waves due to climate change.
Scientists do not talk about the effect of solar radiation on the skin, but biological aging. Unlike the chronological age – the answer you give, asked how ancient you are – your biological age reflects how well your cells, tissues and organs work. Biological age can be calculated by looking at physiological and molecular markers in the body, as well as using various tests, for example by measuring lung function, cognitive abilities or bone density.
Over time, tests shown, exposure to extreme heat can weaken body systems that appear in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood function tests. In the long run, this can augment the risk of cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Research that was published in the journal Nature climate changeHe stated that the aging of the extreme heat effect was comparable to other behaviors, which are known to be harmful to the body, such as smoking or drinking alcohol.
Scientists analyzed long -term medical data 24,922 people in Taiwan, collected in 2008–2022. At that time, the island experienced about 30 heat waves-measures by the research team as high temperature periods lasting for several days. Scientists for the first time calculated the biological age of people, based on the results of various medical studies, such as liver, lung and kidney tests. Then they compared the biological age of people with chronological age to see how quickly their biological clock tidelic in relation to their actual age. Then they received this information in relation to the likely exposure of people to heat waves.
The results have shown that the more extreme thermal events that people experienced, the faster the biological age accelerated in relation to their chronological age. On average, among the surveyed people, exposed to two years of heat waves added from eight to 12 days to the biological age of a person.
“While the number itself may seem small, over time and in different populations, this effect may have significant consequences for public health,” said Cui Guo, an environmental epidemiologist from the University of Hong Kong and the main author of the study, Wa statement by nature.
The study also showed that people performing physical work and people living in rural areas were more often influenced by accelerated biological aging, probably due to greater exposure to the effects of heat waves. However, an unexpected positive effect was also observed: the impact of heat exposure to biological aging actually fell within 15 years. The reason for this is unknown, although Guo indicates the possible influence of cooling technology, such as air conditioning, which have become more common in recent years.
This story originally appeared Wired in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.