Your neighborhood may be linked to faster aging and more 'zombie cells'

An NYU School of Global Public Health study found people living in low-opportunity neighborhoods had higher levels of CDKN2A RNA, a marker associated with cellular senescence. The researchers report that economic factors such as income, employment and homeownership were the primary drivers of this association.

Researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health analyzed blood samples from 1,215 U.S. adults and assessed neighborhood features such as air and water quality, education, insurance coverage, homeownership and income. The team measured CDKN2A RNA, a biomarker linked to cellular senescence, and compared results across neighborhoods with different levels of opportunity. The study reports higher CDKN2A RNA among residents of "low-opportunity" neighborhoods, after accounting for individual socioeconomic, health and lifestyle factors. Key findings: - Residents of low-opportunity neighborhoods showed significantly higher CDKN2A RNA, a marker associated with cellular senescence. - The association was mainly driven by social and economic factors, notably income, employment and homeownership, rather than education, health or environmental measures in this analysis. - The findings were published in Social Science & Medicine, and the authors called for further research into how neighborhood conditions affect aging over time. Summary: The study links persistent economic and housing-related stress in some neighborhoods with biological markers of cellular aging, which could contribute to health disparities. Researchers stated that further study is needed to understand how structural neighborhood conditions become biologically embedded and influence aging over time.