Poor age at faster rate than wealthy who stay healthy

BEING poor really is bad for your health, according to a study which showed those paid the least aged faster than the wealthy.

Signs of old age – including fading eyesight, memory problems and changes to walking speed – appeared earlier in lower earners.

Scientists from University College London analysed changes in more than 5,000 people, with an average age of 64, over eight years.

Lead author Professor Andrew Steptoe said: “This adds to evidence showing the corrosive nature of lower socio-economic status on our bodies, our minds, and our capabilities.

“We know that people of lower socio-economic status are at increased risk of disease in older age, but it has not been clear whether they are also at risk of a faster decline in age-related function, not directly related to health conditions.

“What this study suggests is that there is a faster decline of a wide range of age-related factors among less affluent people.”

Scientists measured the rate of physical and mental decline using factors including lung capacity, emotional wellbeing and social function (involvement in organisations and volunteering).

Decline was most rapid among less wealthy people across all areas – patterns not explained by the prevalence of long-term health conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.

Reductions in walking speed were 38 per cent greater in the lowest earners, while there was a ten per cent difference in memory decline.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America.