Living in a neighbourhood with a high crime rate can take more than a decade off your life, research has suggested.
The “biological” age of residents in noisy areas plagued by vandalism and crime is 12 years higher than their peers who reside in more peaceful places.
The researchers looked at genetic material called telomeres, the protective “caps” at the ends of DNA strands that control cells’ longevity.
The study of almost 3,000 Dutch people found that those living in the worst neighbourhoods had the shortest caps.
Telomeres get shorter each time a cell copies itself. Ultimately, if they become too short, the DNA begins to degrade and cells lose their function.