Feeling the heat makes you feel your age—or older
“Extreme heat often leaves a person’s body and mind feeling exhausted, and research suggests it can even change the way you talk. Now, scientists have uncovered evidence that hot days actually speed up the biological aging process, leading people in some locations to get older faster.” Science Adviser, 27 February 2025

Science Advances, 26 February 2025

Ambient outdoor heat and accelerated epigenetic aging among older adults in the US

Extreme heat is well-documented to adversely affect health and mortality, but its link to biological aging—a precursor of the morbidity and mortality process—remains unclear. This study examines the association between ambient outdoor heat and epigenetic aging in a nationally representative sample of US adults aged 56+ (N = 3686). The number of heat days in neighborhoods is calculated using the heat index, covering time windows from the day of blood collection to 6 years prior.