UPitt researchers find link between neighborhood quality and cellular aging

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-06/uops-prf061815.php

Public Release: 18-Jun-2015
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

Regardless of chronological age, people who live in neighborhoods with high crime, noise and vandalism are biologically more than a decade older than those who do not, according to a study led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. The findings were published online today in PLOS One.

Strong research evidence supports that living in disadvantaged neighborhoods has an unfavorable impact on mental and physical health, explained lead author Mijung Park, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., assistant professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.

'Our team examined whether these environments also have a direct impact on cellular health,' she said. 'We found that indeed, biological aging processes could be influenced by socioeconomic conditions.'

•••••

They found that the telomeres of people reporting poor neighborhood quality were significantly shorter than telomeres of those who did not.

'The differences in telomere length between the two groups were comparable to 12 years in chronological age,' Park said. 'It's possible that their cells are chronically activated in response to psychological and physiological stresses created by disadvantaged socioeconomic, political and emotional circumstances.'