A study from Imperial College London found that children from poorer families show biological signs of accelerated aging compared with wealthier peers.
A team of researchers analyzed data from 1,160 children aged 6 to 11 across Europe. Participants were assessed using an international wealth scale based on indicators such as whether the child had their own room and how many vehicles the family owned.
How Was the Study Conducted?
The researchers divided the children into three groups—high, middle, and low family wealth—and took blood samples to measure telomere length.
Telomeres are caps on chromosomes that help protect DNA and play a central role in cellular aging. In plain terms, telomeres shorten as we age.
Past studies have linked telomere length to chronic diseases and suggested that both acute and chronic stress can speed telomere shortening.
The study found that children in the wealthiest group had telomeres about 5 percent longer, on average, than children in the poorest group. Girls had telomeres about 5.6 percent longer than boys, on average. The researchers also reported that children with higher body mass index had slightly shorter telomeres: roughly a 0.18 percent decrease for each percentage-point increase in body fat.
The researchers also found that children from low-income families had cortisol levels—the stress hormone—that were 15.2 to 22.8 percent higher than those of wealthier children.
Key Takeaways
The study confirmed a link between family wealth and telomere length, a marker tied to lifespan and health.
Dr. Oliver Robinson, the lead author of the study, stated, “Our results demonstrate a clear connection between family wealth and a well-known marker of cellular aging, with potentially lifelong patterns being established in the first decade of a child’s life. This means that economic conditions can place some children at a biological disadvantage compared to those who have a better start in life. As a result, we are directing children onto a lifelong trajectory where they are more likely to have less healthy and shorter lives.”
He added, “Belonging to a low-income group causes additional biological wear and tear.” This could be equivalent to “approximately 10 years of cellular aging compared to well-off children.”
Kendall Marston, the first author of the study, noted, “We know that chronic stress exposure leads to biological wear and tear on the body. This has been demonstrated in animal studies at the cellular level—stressed animals had shorter telomeres.”
“It’s likely that children from less affluent families experience higher stress levels. For example, they may have to share a bedroom with other family members or lack the resources needed for school, such as access to a computer for homework,” Kendall Marston pointed out.
The study’s findings were published in The Lancet.
