Children from poorer backgrounds biologically ageing faster than affluent counterparts, study finds

Children from less affluent families may be ageing faster at a biological level than their wealthier peers, according to a new study.

Researchers from Imperial College London analysed data from 1,160 children aged between six and 11 from across Europe. The study, published in The Lancet, measured biological markers associated with ageing and stress.

Children were assessed using an international family affluence scale, which includes factors such as whether a child has their own bedroom and the number of vehicles in the household. They were grouped into categories of high, medium and low affluence.

Blood samples were used to measure telomere length in white blood cells. Telomeres are structures found within chromosomes that help maintain DNA integrity and shorten with age. Their degradation is linked to cellular ageing and a higher risk of disease. Cortisol, a hormone that indicates the body’s response to stress, was measured from urine samples.

Children in the high affluence group had telomeres that were, on average, 5 per cent longer than those in the low affluence group. Girls had telomeres 5.6 per cent longer than boys on average, and children with a higher body mass index (BMI) had shorter telomeres, decreasing by 0.18 per cent for each percentage increase in fat mass.

Cortisol levels were also found to be lower in children from more affluent backgrounds. Children in the medium and high affluence groups had cortisol levels between 15.2 per cent and 22.8 per cent lower than those in the low affluence group.

Previous studies have linked shorter telomeres with chronic diseases and shown that both acute and chronic stress can lead to telomere shortening.

Dr Oliver Robinson, from Imperial’s School of Public Health and senior author of the study, said: “Our findings show a clear relationship between family affluence and a known marker for cellular ageing, with potentially lifelong patterns being shaped in the first decade of a child’s life.

“It means that for some children, their economic background may put them at a biological disadvantage compared to those who have a better start in life. By failing to address this, we are setting children on a lifelong trajectory where they may be more likely to have less healthy and shorter lives.”

He added: “Our work suggests that being from a low affluence background is causing additional biological wear and tear. For children from the low affluence group this may be equivalent to approximately 10 years of ageing at the cellular level, compared to children from high affluence backgrounds.”

Kendal Marston, first author and researcher at Imperial’s School of Public Health, said: “We know that chronic exposure to stress causes biological wear and tear on the body. This has been demonstrated in animal studies at the cellular level – with stressed animals having shorter telomeres.

“While our study couldn’t show that cortisol was the mechanism, it does demonstrate a link between affluence and telomere length, which we know in adulthood is related to lifespan and health. It may be that children from less affluent backgrounds are experiencing greater psychosocial stress. For example, they may be sharing a bedroom with family members, or they may not have the resources they need for school – like access to a computer for homework.”

The researchers acknowledged limitations in the study, noting that none of the children were from families living in poverty. They stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as a link between affluence and “quality” of genes, but rather as evidence of the indirect impact of environment on a known marker of ageing and long-term health.