US EditionRepeated Heat Wave Exposure Tied to Accelerated Aging, with Rural and Manual Workers Most Affected
A study of 24,922 adults in Taiwan found repeated heatwave exposure accelerates biological aging by 0.023–0.031 years per interquartile range increase, affecting vulnerable groups most.
- Cui Guo and colleagues published Monday that living through extreme heat waves linked to faster biological ageing by analysing 24,922 adults in Taiwan, reported in Nature Climate Change.
- Climate change is driving more intense heatwaves, with human-induced climate change causing record-breaking temperatures in Europe, Japan and Korea earlier this month and a second heatwave in France recently.
- By analysing patient data from 2008 to 2022, researchers linked each interquartile-range increase in cumulative heatwave exposure with a 0.023–0.031-year rise in age acceleration, equating two years of exposure to eight–12 extra days of biological ageing.
- The study found manual workers, rural residents and communities with fewer air conditioners face higher risks, and authors urged policymakers to reduce environmental inequalities and improve protections and healthcare allocation.
- Researchers warned the small annual increases in biological age can compound over a lifetime, magnifying long-term health burdens, and despite apparent adaptation over 15 years, harmful effects persisted, prompting international health bodies to declare heat-related risks a public-health emergency.
12 Articles
12 Articles
New research links frequent heatwaves to faster aging in vulnerable populations
Repeated exposure to extreme heat may speed up biological aging, especially in rural and low-income communities with limited access to cooling, according to a long-term study from Taiwan.Vishwam Sankaran reports for The Independent.In short:Scientists examined health data from nearly 25,000 Taiwanese adults over 15 years and found a consistent link between cumulative heatwave exposure and accelerated biological aging.People who lived in rural ar…
Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the Taiwanese study shows that people most exposed to heat age on average 3% faster.
How heatwaves are making people age faster
A 15-year study of nearly 25,000 adults in Taiwan has shown that four extra heatwave days over two years accelerated biological ageing by about nine days. Manual labourers saw a 33-day jump, while rural residents faced heightened risks. Experts link this to DNA damage, chronic inflammation and organ stress, raising alarm as heatwaves grow more frequent worldwide
Repeated heat wave exposure tied to accelerated aging, with rural and manual workers most affected
Years of repeated exposure to heat waves may accelerate aging, particularly among manual workers, rural residents and people from communities with fewer air conditioners, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
