Middle-aged men may age faster due to ‘forever chemicals’, a new study finds.
Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick coatings, food packaging, cleaning products, plastics and more.
In the study, published Feb. 25 in the journal Frontiers in Aging, researchers found that specific forever chemicals, namely perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA), were present in the blood of 95% of participants. Higher concentrations of PFNA and PFOSA appeared to accelerate biological aging, with middle-aged men between 50 and 64 years the most vulnerable group.
Using publicly available data on a nationally representative group of 326 older women and men enrolled in 1999 and 2000, researchers studied the concentration of 11 PFAS and epigenetic markers in blood samples and reviewed participant questionnaires on demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.
Invented in the 1950s and 1960s, PFNA and PFOSA are commonly used in consumer and industrial products because of their water, grease and stain repellent properties and their ability to resist heat and corrosion, according to a news release.
As to why the effects seemed strongest in middle-aged men, the authors point to lifestyle factors.
“We suspect that men are at greater risk because the aging markers we analyzed are strongly influenced by lifestyle factors such as smoking, which can amplify the harmful effects of these pollutants,” said Dr. Xiangwei Li, author of the study and professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.
Study author Dr. Ya-Qian Xu of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine added that middle age is a “sensitive biological window in which the body becomes more sensitive to age-related stressors, which could explain why this group responds more strongly to chemical exposure.”
France recently banned the use of PFAS in clothing and cosmetics, and the European Union is considering a similar ban. For Americans, the authors suggest reducing the risk by limiting consumption of packaged foods and avoiding microwaveable fast food containers.
“Looking ahead, we are actively modeling how PFAS interacts with other common pollutants as we need to understand the cumulative health risks of these chemical mixtures,” Li added.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Middle-aged men may be aging faster due to ‘forever chemicals’
Reporting by Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
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