폭염 한 번에 6개월 늙는다…생체시계 당기는 기후변화
Extremely intense heatwaves are not only causing heat-related illnesses but also accelerating human biological aging, according to a recent study. The research, published in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, found that a single exposure to intense heatwaves can make people appear 6 months older (0.53 years) based on biological age standards.
The study analyzed the health data of 2,318 individuals aged 45 and above from China's health and aging tracking survey (CHARLS). The researchers used eight bio-markers, including C-reactive protein, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, C-reactive protein, platelet count, muscle contraction blood pressure, and average body temperature to measure biological age.
The exposure to heatwaves was estimated based on the number of heatwave days and the duration of heatwaves in the city over the past year. The results showed that intense heatwave exposure accelerates biological aging in middle-aged and older adults. Over a period of four years, 58.8% of the participants showed signs of accelerated biological aging.
The average biological age increased from 57.3 years to 62.3 years. The study also found that stricter heatwave standards led to a stronger correlation between heatwaves and biological aging. For instance, each additional heatwave occurrence increased biological age by 0.531 years (approximately 6.4 months), and each additional day of heatwave exposure added 0.057 years to the biological age.
The researchers defined "the most intense heatwave" as a heat index that exceeded the upper 2.5% of local weather data for at least four consecutive days. This summer's weather in South Korea, with record-high temperatures in July and early August, is likely to fall under the most intense heatwave category. The extreme heat in July and August, combined with the highest temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius recorded in Gyeongsangnam-do, suggests that the country's summer heatwaves could significantly accelerate biological aging.
Written by urgent.news from Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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