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Heat Can Age You As Much As Smoking, a New Study Finds (science.org) 47

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat accelerates biological aging in older adults, increasing the risk of age-related illnesses, according to research published in Science Advances.

In a nationally representative study of 3,686 U.S. adults over age 56, scientists found that long-term exposure to high heat days was associated with accelerated epigenetic aging - molecular changes that affect how genes function without altering DNA itself.

Researchers from the University of Southern California discovered that individuals living in areas where heat index values regularly exceed 90F showed signs of being biologically older than those in cooler regions, even after controlling for factors like wealth, education, and lifestyle habits. Six-year cumulative heat exposure linked to as much as 2.48 years of accelerated aging in one measurement.

Heat Can Age You As Much As Smoking, a New Study Finds

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  • Have you seen the retirement communities in Phoenix?

  • Trash proxy study doesn't invalidate heat shock proteins since correlation !=causation.

    Could be:

    - aircon sucks
    - hiding inside means less light and less fresh air
    - the need for more highly chlorinated water dries out skin microbiome and disrupts gut microbiome preventing bifidiobacteria, akkromansia and friends

    Props to NotebookLM for pointing out the basic flaws.

  • Interesting study (in all seriousness).

    It does rather confirm the experience I think we have all had though. You know where you meed the guy or gal who tells you he lived in Florida most of their life, you assume they are in later 60s and then learn they are 37..

    • I didn't read the article, but there's no mention of sun exposure, which leads to wrinkles and thus appearing more aged. People in warmer climes are typically both 1. out in the sun more and 2. at latitudes where the sun's UV rays are stronger.
    • That is the mileage, not the heat.
    • I lived in Los Angeles for 30 years before coming back to eastern Pa and realizing I look 10 years younger here. Guess diets of Tasty Kakes and cheesesteaks age you faster than the sun.
      • by cstacy ( 534252 )

        I lived in Los Angeles for 30 years before coming back to eastern Pa and realizing I look 10 years younger here. Guess diets of Tasty Kakes and cheesesteaks age you faster than the sun.

        It's not the Tasty Kake, it's the proximity to Amish pirates.

  • by nealric ( 3647765 ) on Monday March 17, 2025 @11:24AM (#65239789)

    The study notes that this supposed heat-causation applies across the socioeconomic spectrum. But that would cause questions about whether heat is really the issue. The poor are much more likely to spend significant amount of time in the heat in hot places. Wealthier people tend to have central A/C, cars with A/C, and work in offices with a/c. Instead of spending recreational time outside when it is hot, they tend to go to gyms and indoor entertainment attractions with a/c. On the other hand, the less well-off are more likely to work outside, take public transit where they will have to wait outside, and may need to rely on window a/c or no a/c at all for their homes.

    Perhaps what we are really seeing is just the impact of poorer health infrastructure in the South rather than any weather/climate impacts on health.

  • by GlennC ( 96879 ) on Monday March 17, 2025 @11:39AM (#65239825)

    When I was a child, I watched "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

    One of the characters had this line in the show:
    "I came to Minneapolis because of the cold. I figured if I was frozen I'd keep better."

    Source: https://www.quotes.net/mquote/795788 [quotes.net]

  • by Qbertino ( 265505 ) <moiraNO@SPAMmodparlor.com> on Monday March 17, 2025 @11:40AM (#65239827)

    That excess exposure to the Sun is a significant aging factor is well established. Did they mix these two? If not, how did they make sure they didn't?

    • Depends. What aging factors are you considering? This study is looking at biological markers in people's blood. I know of plenty of studies linking sun exposure to *visible* signs of aging, specifically breakdown in the skin layer, but I've yet to see any studies that linked either sun or UV exposure to biological aging markers in blood.

      There are studies that link sun exposure to morbidity but they also note that the issue is related to medical problems induced by the sun on the skin - i.e. skin cancer.

    • Guessing it probably is the heat. Due to "brown adipose tissue"

      We report that individuals with BAT had lower prevalences of cardiometabolic diseases, and the presence of BAT was independently correlated with lower odds of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure and hypertension. These findings were supported by improved blood glucose, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein values. The beneficial effects of BAT were more pronounced in individuals with overweight or obesity, indicating that BAT might play a role in mitigating the deleterious effects of obesity. https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]

      By releasing protons in the mitochondrial matrix, uncoupling protein-1 dissipates chemical energy as heat, a process termed nonshivering thermogenesis (9). Accumulating evidence shows that cold-induced BAT activity is associated with enhanced energy expenditure in humans (4,8,10). We have recently demonstrated that lean individuals with active BAT (BATpos) burn significantly more calories during cold conditions and have a favorable oxylipin profile compared with those without detectable BAT https://doi.org/10.2337/db21-0... [doi.org]

      Further, brown fat catabolizes BCAAs into amino acids for the liver. Amino acids like glutathione (one of the 3 master antioxidants). https://www.cell.com/cell/full... [cell.com]

  • Florida and Arizona are hotbeds for retirees.

  • Read the summary, instantly thought of "The Villages" in Central Florida.

    Hilarious.

  • One study says it's good for you, then next year, different study says it's bad for you?
  • Considering that the five live blue zones are in places where 90 degree days are common, this article can fuck off.

  • by wakeboarder ( 2695839 ) on Monday March 17, 2025 @02:17PM (#65240275)

    If this were true then all tropical countries would have a significantly lower lifespan. The effect isn't really apparent in the world data https://vividmaps.com/life-exp... [vividmaps.com] or state data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]. Granted lifespan has many factors but it looks like you can still live in a 'hot place' and be ok and other factors are to blame.

  • So instead of spending my teenage years going outside and swimming, I was better off staying inside, smoking and drinking.

    When I was growing up, everyone thought that smoking would kill you - they even called them "cancer sticks". We were instead encouraged to go outside in the summer heat and "be active." I wonder if any of our teachers ever thought this advice would take years off our lives.

This place just isn't big enough for all of us. We've got to find a way off this planet.

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