Blood tests suggest that social disadvantage can accelerate aging and increase the risk of the sickness force

People with favorable socio -economic disorders, such as high incomes or education levels, run a reduced risk of age -related diseases and display fewer signs of biological aging than colleagues of the same age, finds one New study Under the leadership of University College London (UCL) researchers.

Social inequalities seem to have a direct influence on the biological aging process, according to the authors of the Nature Medicine paper.

The scientists discovered that people with more social benefits had fewer proteins in their blood that are linked to the aging process, including those associated with inflammation and the immune system.

Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences) said: “This study offers strong biological evidence that social circumstances influence the pace of aging. For decades we know that social benefits have been linked to better health, but our findings suggest that it can also delay the aging process itself.

“Our study emphasizes that healthy aging is a feasible goal for society as a whole, because it is already a reality for people with favorable socio -economic conditions.”

The study is based on four large longitudinal studies that their participants have been following for many years: the Whitehall II study in the UK (which is led by Professor Kivimaki as director), the British Biobank, the Finnish public sector study (FPS) and the atherosclerosis in the VS. Together these studies include more than 800,000 participants.

The social benefits measures include both early life factors, such as education and the socio -economic position of the father, and adulthood indicators, such as neighborhood lack of people, professional status or family income.

The markers of aging were measured by diagnoses of diseases that are known to be linked to aging, and by blood tests that measure proteins circulating in the plasma of the blood, in a measurement called advanced plasma proteomic. Many proteins are known to influence the aging process, while aging also influences the mix of proteins in the blood, so that protein can reflect multiple age -related processes that can take place before the start of any diseases.

The results of the disease were determined for 10 years after the social benefit measures for two of the cohorts, and more than 20 years later for Whitehall II and Aric cohorts, to discover whether social factors early or midlife social factors have contributed to aging many years later.

The researchers discovered that the risk of 66 age -related diseases was influenced by social benefits. On average about the list of diseases, there was a 20% higher risk of diseases for people with low socio-economic status compared to a high socio-economic status, while after 15 years people with a low socio-economic status had a similar number of diagnoses of age-related diseases if they did after 20 years in the high socio-economic status group.

For some diseases, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart conditions, lung cancer and strokes, the risk was more than twice as high in the most disadvantaged group compared to the most privileged.

The scientists found that levels of 14 plasma proteins were influenced by a socio -economic benefit, including proteins that are known to regulate inflammatory and cellular stress reactions. The researchers estimate that up to 39% of the reduced sickness is in social -economically favored people can be influenced by these proteins.

Co-author Professor Tony Wyss-Coray (Stanford University) explained: “Aging is reflected in the composition of proteins in our blood, including thousands of circulating proteins related to biological aging processes in multiple organ systems. These biomarkers can assess the TemPten dicking” dicking “

The researchers found evidence that changes in social status can have a measurable impact on biological aging, because people who went into life of education last year into the middle of the middle or high social benefit had more favorable protein concentrations in relation to those whose circumstances had not improved.

The researchers say that more research is needed to clarify how social factors can influence biological aging.

Co-Author Professor Dame Linda Partridge (UCL Institute of Healthy Aging) Explained, “While Our Study Does Not Tell Us Why Social Advantage Can Slow the Aging Process, Other Studies Have Suggested That It May Be Related Such As Life, And Life Life, And Life Life Life, And Life Life Life Life, And Life Life Life, Life Life Life, And Life Life, Life Life, Life Life Life, And Life Life Life Life, Life Life Life, Life Life Life, And Life Life Life Life Life, Life Life Life, Life Life Life, Life Life Life Life, Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Life Life. Behaviors Such as Smoking, Drug And Alcohol Use, Diet and Exercise, As Well as Access to Medical Screening, Check-Up, Vaccinations and Medications. “

Another study led by the same researchers, which were published last month, showed that a blood test that determines how much our organs are parent, the risk of age -related diseases could predict decades in advance, which could help with preventive medicine for people who show signs of accelerated aging.

Professor Kivimaki added: “Being able to draw blood tests of accelerated aging, which could help us determine who would probably benefit from targeted interventions to improve their health as they get older.”