According to landmark research, air pollution, social inequality and weak democratic institutions are older than theirs, involving 40 countries and over 160,000 participants.
This comprehensive study published in Nature Medicine shows that your place of residence (your “exposome”) can accelerate your biological aging for years, increasing the risk of cognitive decline and reduced physical function, regardless of personal healthy habits.
“Our biological age reflects the world we live in. Exposure to toxic air, political unrest and inequality affects society, but also affects our health,” explains Dr. Agustin Ibanez of the Trinity Institute for Global Brain Health, which leads the international research team.
Global aging gradient appears
Researchers examine how environmental factors affect the “biological behavioral age gap” (bbags) – based on health indicators such as cognitive performance, physical function and cardiac metabolic health, the differences between a person’s age and predicted age.
This study reveals distinct geographical patterns that accelerate aging. European participants usually exhibited the healthiest profile of aging, while Egypt and South Africa showed the greatest aging. People in Asia and Latin America fall between these extremes.
Even in Europe, significant differences occurred: Eastern and Southern European participants traveled faster than their Nordic and Western European counterparts.
- Lower national income strongly predicts accelerated aging in all regions
- Regardless of personal health behavior
- Gender inequality and migration patterns show significant aging effects
- Weaker democratic institutions are associated with faster bioaging
Measuring the invisible impact of your environment
The research team developed complex computational models to measure how the environment is embedded in our biology. Their analysis confirms that over time, people with a larger age gap in biological behavior (those with physical “older” are “older” – cognitive and functional declines faster over time.
“Whether a person ages in a healthy or accelerated way is shaped not only by individual choice or biology, but also by their physical, social and political environment, and has a great influence among countries,” said Dr. Sandra Baez.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is the substantial impact of socio-political factors. The weak democratic system, limited political representation and limited voting rights are related to accelerated aging. These findings emerge as democracy faces global challenges and the scope of social inequality in many regions expands.
Reconsider aging as a collective responsibility
The study challenges the conventional view of healthy aging, mainly depending on personal choices such as diet and exercise. Although these are still important, studies show that up to 26% of aging accelerations are due to environmental factors that cannot be controlled by individuals.
For individuals in poor air quality, severe inequality, or weak governance environments, even perfect adherence to healthy lifestyle recommendations may not completely offset these structural aging accelerators.
“This is not a metaphor: environmental and political situations leave measurable fingerprints in 40 countries, revealing a clear accelerated aging gradient,” stressed Dr. Hernan Hernandez, lead author of the Latin American Brain Health Institute.
The findings suggest that public health strategies must be expanded beyond personal lifestyle prescriptions to address structural inequality and governance deficiencies. Creating an environment that supports healthy aging requires multiple levels of intervention, from reducing air pollution to strengthening democratic institutions and addressing systemic inequality.
As the global population ages, understanding these complex environmental factors has become increasingly important in developing effective strategies to promote brain health and reduce the risk of dementia in various global environments.
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