Data on almost 25,000 people in Taiwan (2008–2022) were analyzed to map the relationship between heat exposure and biological aging. Each interquartile range increase in cumulative heatwave exposure corresponded to a larger gap between biological and chronological age. Manual workers, rural residents, and people in communities with fewer air conditioners experienced greater susceptibility to these aging impacts. Preliminary indications show gradual population-level adaptation across heatwave indicators, but long-term cumulative exposure over decades could produce much larger health impacts. Continued mitigation and monitoring of heatwave exposure remain important given the significant health effects.
The researchers used data on almost 25,000 people in Taiwan taken between 2008 and 2022. They found that "[e]ach interquartile range increase in the cumulative exposure to heatwaves" saw an increase in the difference between the subjects' biological age and their chronological age. That wasn't the only way in which these scientists observed that heat affected aging; they also noted that "manual workers, rural residents and participants from communities with fewer air conditioners were more susceptible to the health impacts."
The Guardian reports that the researchers are now exploring even longer-term effects of heat on the body. "If heatwave exposure accumulates for several decades, the health impact will be much greater than we have reported," Dr. Cui Guo, one of the paper's authors, told The Guardian. If there's any grounds for optimism in this new study, it's that it also contains evidence of humans' adaptability. The authors found hints of "a gradual population-level adaptation across all heatwave indicators."
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