The Beginning of Human Life: Less educated 'will age faster'

Jack Sisson's The Beginning of Human Life Blog

Many people believe human life begins at conception. Others acknowledge life at conception, but differ about when that life becomes human (versus an indistinguishable mass of cells). We hope to both start and then further dialogue regarding the beginning of human life. We have been preparing for this discussion since 1986.

From BBC News:

DNA evidence suggests cellular ageing is more advanced in adults with no qualifications compared with those who have a university degree.

Experts think education might help people lead more healthy lives.

The British Heart Foundation said the London-based study, in journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, reinforced the need to tackle social inequalities.

The connection between health and socioeconomic status is well established.

Those from poor backgrounds are more likely to smoke more, take less exercise and have less access to good quality healthcare, compared with more wealthy people.

But the new study suggests that education might be a more precise determinant of a person's long term health rather than their current income and social status.

The researchers suggest that education may enable people to make better decisions that affect their long term health.
Professor Andrew Steptoe, from University College London, who led the study, said: "Education is a marker of social class that people acquire early in life, and our research suggests that it is long-term exposure to the conditions of lower status that promotes accelerated cellular ageing."

Keep reading.

Labels: cellular aging, DNA