Living in extreme heat speeds up ageing: Study

02-Mar-2025

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A new study done by researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has revealed that increased temperatures can accelerate ageing in humans.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, mentions biological age, which is a measure of how well the body functions at the molecular, cellular, and system levels, as opposed to chronological age, which is based on one's birthdate.

Jennifer Ailshire, senior author of the study and professor of gerontology and sociology at the USC Leonard Davis School, said: “Participants living in areas where heat days, as defined as Extreme Caution or higher levels (more than or equal to 26.6 degrees Celsius), occur half the year, such as Phoenix, Arizona, experienced up to 14 months of additional biological ageing compared to those living in areas with fewer than 10 heat days per year.”

“It’s really about the combination of heat and humidity, particularly for older adults, because older adults don’t sweat the same way. We start to lose our ability to have the skin-cooling effect that comes from that evaporation of sweat,” said Ailshire.

The researchers aim to determine what other factors might make someone more vulnerable to heat-related biological ageing and how it might connect to clinical outcomes.