Aging is an inevitable process. However, it can occur at varying speeds depending on where a person lives. Factors such as environmental, social, and political conditions significantly influence the rate of aging.
According to a new study, residents of Denmark age the slowest, while those in Egypt age the fastest.
How Did Researchers Discover This?
Denmark boasts the best environmental, social, and political conditions necessary for people to lead healthier lifestyles in their later years and age more slowly.
This finding comes from an international team of scientists who studied over 160,000 individuals from 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. The researchers identified factors that affect biological processes during aging and analyzed how quickly these processes develop in populations from different regions of the world.
First, the team determined the average aging rates. They employed an artificial intelligence model that calculates the difference between a person’s chronological age and their predicted age based on risk factors. This measure is referred to as the biological-behavioral age gap. For instance, if you are 50 years old, but the AI model determines that, based on your risk factors, you are effectively 55, your biological-behavioral age gap would be 5 years.
Among the residents of the four continents studied, Europeans exhibited the best biological-behavioral age gap, while those from low-income countries showed the worst.
“This research is significant because it rethinks aging as a result not only of biology and lifestyle but also of broader environmental and socio-political factors, emphasizing that where and how people live can significantly accelerate or slow down aging,” said Dr. Morten Shaiybi-Knudsen, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Aging, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
Residents of Egypt age the fastest, with an average biological-behavioral age gap of 4.75 years. Following them in the rankings for the fastest aging are South Africa and countries in South America. In Europe, the fastest aging rates were observed in the eastern and southern regions.
Meanwhile, residents of Denmark, who age the slowest, showed an average biological-behavioral age gap of 2.35 years. Rounding out the top three are the Netherlands and Finland.
What Conditions Are Necessary for Healthy Aging?
So, why are Denmark and the rest of Northern and Western Europe conducive to slow and healthy aging? Researchers found that key factors include environmental aspects, such as air quality, as well as social factors like gender equality and socio-economic status.
Another significant factor is the socio-political situation. Healthy aging, it turns out, is closely linked to whether politicians act in the public’s interest, whether citizens have the right to vote, and whether they feel free, particularly regarding participation in political parties and democratic elections.
The study also revealed that individuals experiencing accelerated aging face difficulties in performing daily tasks eight times more often, and cognitive decline occurs four times more frequently.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.