The stress of living in extreme poverty may cause the early onset of age-related diseases and can take years off the lives of the urban poor, regardless of ethnicity.
For a new study, researchers measured telomere length of poor and moderate-income whites, African-Americans, and people of Mexican descent in Detroit neighborhoods to determine the impact of living conditions on health.
Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes to maintain their integrity but shorten each time the cell divides. They have been compared to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, as they protect the chromosomes from falling apart and from sticking to one another.
Physiological Scars
The new research is believed to be the first to link telomere length specifically to detailed measures of life conditions among the disadvantaged—and casts doubt on the validity of previous research that suggests telomere length is based solely on race and ethnicity.
“Currently, residents of Detroit are struggling—whether they are white, black, or of Mexican descent—in ways that measurably impact their health negatively, including at the cellular level,” says Arline Geronimus, a professor of public health at University of Michigan and a research professor at the Institute for Social Research.
“Our findings suggest that any group subject to extremely difficult life conditions and contexts will bear physiological scars.
