A team of international researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Columbia University has published findings in the journal Nature Human Behavior from a comprehensive study examining how socioeconomic status affects the rate of biological aging. To conduct this research, specialists analyzed data from 140 scientific studies covering nearly 66,000 individuals across 23 countries, ranging in age from 0 to 86 years old. The work utilized epigenetic clocks—mathematical models that assess molecular changes in DNA to determine how closely an organism aligns with its chronological age.
The results revealed that low socioeconomic status, encompassing poverty and lack of education, directly correlates with accelerated biological aging. The study demonstrated that this pattern emerges as early as childhood: children from underprivileged backgrounds show signs of aging biologically faster than their more affluent peers. Among adults who experienced poverty during their childhood, a higher rate of aging was also observed compared to those raised in favorable conditions.
The researchers emphasize that poverty and other social factors operate collectively, intertwining and mutually amplifying their detrimental effects on the body. The latest and most sensitive third-generation epigenetic clocks were able to capture these connections with significantly greater accuracy than earlier, more basic versions of these models. This highlights progress in understanding how external circumstances leave a molecular imprint on human DNA.
The authors stress that biological clocks are influenced not only by individual habits or genetics but also by the broader environment in which people live. In their view, the findings provide new opportunities for designing interventions that should be more social than medical in nature, aimed at transforming the living conditions of diverse population groups.
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