A genetic study reveals that people with less academic qualifications age faster . The key is in the telomeres that cover the end of your DNA chromosomes, which are shorter in less educated people, an unequivocal sign of premature aging.
The research, co-funded by the British Heart Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), is based on 450 men and women aged 53 to 76 years. After ruling out other factors such as age, gender, cholesterol or tobacco, they observed that low levels of education were linked to shorter telomeres . However, income did not affect cellular aging, and neither did the type of employment.
The researchers, who have published their conclusions in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity , assure that aging is not a consequence of economic circumstances during adult life or social status , but depends on factors of the first decades of our life with long-term effects, such as education. They also suggest that it may be because highly educated people are better equipped to solve problems and deal with stress.
