Lower Education Linked to Faster Aging

People who leave education with fewer qualifications are prone to age more quickly. Andrew Steptoe, from University College London (United Kingdom), and colleagues examined the length of telomeres, sections of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage and the loss of cell functions associated with aging. Shorter telomeres are thought to be an indicator of faster aging. The team acquired telomere samples from 450 subjects taking part in a long-term British health study. The study participants were separated into four education groups: those who had no qualifications at all, those who left formal education after exams at around 16 years of age, those who left after exams at around 18 years, and those who earned a degree from a university or other higher education institution. Those people who did less well at school had shorter telomeres, suggesting they may age faster. Writing that: “Low educational attainment may be an indicator of long-term [socioeconomic] trajectories, and be associated with accumulated allostatic load resulting in telomere shortening,” and positing that: “Education may also promote problem-solving skills leading to reduced biological stress responsivity, with favorable consequences for biological aging,” the researchers conclude that: “Lower educational attainment is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in healthy older men and women, and may reflect more rapid cellular aging in lower socioeconomic status individuals.”