Repeated Periods of Poverty Accelerate the Aging Process

A study from the University of Copenhagen's Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Public Health in the European Journal of Aging found spending four or more years with an income below the relative poverty threshold as an adult can significantly speed up aging, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers studied 5,500 people in middle age based on physical capability, cognitive function, and inflammatory level, then compared this with their income throughout the 22 years leading up to the test. A yearly income of 60 percent below the median income is deemed relative poverty. "People who have been below the relative poverty threshold for four or more years in their adult life perform significantly worse on physical and cognitive tests than those who have never been below the threshold," said University of Copenhagen Professor Rikke Lund. The results indicate a substantial correlation between financial challenges and early aging — an important factor for staging interventions. "From a broader perspective, the results may inspire a reconsideration of the politically adopted reduced rates of public benefits," Lund suggested.