A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that exposure to racial and economic injustice early in life may accelerate biological aging, potentially explaining health disparities among different racial groups in the United States. The research, led by Nancy Krieger, professor of social epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined the relationship between epigenetic aging and various socioeconomic factors.
The study analyzed blood samples from over 1,000 U.S.-born Black and white participants aged 35-64, measuring their epigenetic age – a marker of biological aging that can differ from chronological age. Researchers then compared this data with early life exposures to racial, economic, and environmental injustice.
Key findings revealed significant accelerated epigenetic aging among Black participants born in states enforcing Jim Crow laws or with high levels of political conservatism at the time of their birth. Accelerated aging was also observed in participants from households with low parental education, regardless of race.
“Our findings could provide a pathway to understand why some groups die at earlier ages than others from the same illnesses,” Krieger explained. She emphasized the importance of considering both present and past conditions when examining health inequities, noting that many people alive today were born during the Jim Crow era.
The study’s results have potential implications for policies addressing reparations and poverty alleviation. Krieger hopes these findings will inspire further research on epigenetic aging and social justice, ultimately contributing to efforts to create a society where people can live healthier lives free from injustice.
See: “Racial, economic injustice may accelerate epigenetic aging” (August 27, 2024)
