Eine Twin-Studie mit mehreren Universitäten ergibt, dass beschleunigte biologische Alterung, verstärkt durch den Nachteil der frühen Lebensdauer, später im Leben mit dem kognitiven Rückgang verbunden ist.

Being poor and having a crappy life impacts you later in life. Shocking. But it was an interesting approach to determine this:

>The pace of your DNA aging may help predict whether your brain stays sharp or declines by the time you reach your 50s, and childhood socioeconomic background can make that decline more pronounced, according to researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the University of Virginia.

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>We commonly measure age in birthdays, but scientists also track “biological age” to evaluate how well the body is holding up.

>One way to measure biological age is by looking at DNA methylation, the presence of tiny chemical tags on the DNA strand that turn genes on and off. These tags shift over time depending on lifestyle, health and stress, offering a molecular snapshot of whether someone’s body is aging faster or slower than average.

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>The researchers also found that smoking partly explained the connection between accelerated biological aging and IQ decline. Yet even after accounting for it, the trend persisted, suggesting that both lifestyle choices and childhood circumstances shape long-term brain health.

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>For the average person, the study underscores two important lessons. First, the conditions we grow up in matter, and poverty in particular can leave lasting marks on health. Second, lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking and poor diet can accelerate biological aging. That means there’s at least some room to take control.

Edit: a word