Reading about this new risk tied to our warming world: exposure to extreme heat may actually accelerate how quickly we age biologically. It turns out that living in high-heat environments could make your body up to 14 months older at the cellular level, even after accounting for health, lifestyle, and demographic factors. Studies in Taiwan showed even a few more heatwave days over two years could add nearly nine biological days of aging with outdoor workers aging up to 33 extra days. I found that last bit particularly interesting because I love talking long walks and it takes some seriously bad weather to make me give up my walks. A hotter than usual summer day is not enough.
Interesting how the acceleration happens: researchers used so-called epigenetic clocks, tools that estimate your “biological age” based on DNA methylation patterns, and measured heat exposure over time. Not only did short-term heatwaves show aging effects, but long-term heat exposure over years pushed the aging clocks forward by more than two years. These shifts may seem modest at first glance, but if accumulated year after year, they could have serious implications for chronic illnesses and healthcare systems.
Maybe time for me to change things up, take heatwaves seriously and use every protective tool available. Maybe my mother is right not to step outdoors once the sun is up. Great that she has always had the luxury of making that choice, not everyone can sit it out even if they want to.
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