Longevity Briefs: How Living In A City Accelerates Ageing

Longevity briefs provides a short summary of novel research in biology, medicine, or biotechnology that caught the attention of our researchers in Oxford, due to its potential to improve our health, wellbeing, and longevity.

The problem:

Evidence strongly suggests that pollution is linked to accelerated ageing, increased risk of age-related diseases and increased mortality in later life. Over half of the World’s population currently live in cities and 4 in 5 people are breathing air that contains pollutants in excess of safe limits, making this a global concern. One such pollutant is particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). These are tiny particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less and produced primarily by human activities such as motor traffic.

What the researchers did:

In this study, researchers provide a review of the evidence surrounding PM2.5, its relationship with age-related diseases and the biological mechanisms through which it accelerates ageing at the cellular level.

Key takeaways:

• PM2.5 disrupts organ function, promoting age-related diseases like cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and musculoskeletal diseases.
• Due to their small size, PM2.5 particles can reach deeper parts of the lungs and be absorbed into the blood. This triggers inflammation throughout the body and accelerates many of the fundamental biological processes driving ageing.
• This includes damaging DNA, shortening telomeres (the protective caps on the ends of the chromosome), disrupting the function of the mitochondria (the ‘power plants’ of the cell), disrupting protein synthesis and more.
• In some cases these are knock-on effects of inflammation and of each other, but PM2.5 also seems to activate key molecules like mTOR, which is believed to be a central regulator of lifespan and ageing.

How can we apply this knowledge today:

Most people cannot simply move away from polluted areas, but there are other ways to significantly reduce PM2.5 exposure. Some air purifiers can effectively reduce indoor PM2.5 levels, and wearing facemasks in more polluted areas can limit PM2.5 exposure. Understanding how time of day and weather conditions influence pollution levels can also be valuable. When exposure is unavoidable, remember that healthy lifestyle practices like a quality diet and exercise will boost resilience against inflammation and mitigate the effects of PM2.5.