Getting an education significantly increases life expectancy.
- Having a high level of education makes you age more slowly and live longer, according to a new study.
- Two additional years of study translate into a slowdown in aging of 2 to 3%.
- This deceleration corresponds to a reduction of around 10% in mortality risk.
Members of the Framingham Heart Study who have higher levels of education tend to age more slowly and live longer than those who attended less school, according to a new study. These results are published in THE JAMA.
The Framingham Heart Study is an observational study that began in 1948 and currently covers health trends over three generations.
“We have long known that people with higher levels of education tend to live longer. But many challenges remain in understanding how this happens and, importantly, whether interventions to promote attendance schools could contribute to increased longevity”, said Daniel Belsky, a professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School and the Aging Center at Columbia.
Two years of study results in slower aging
To measure the rate of aging of the 3,101 members of their cohort, the researchers used an algorithm known as DunedinPACE. For 2,437 participants with a brother or sister, the researchers also checked whether differences in educational level between brothers and sisters were associated with a difference in the rate of aging.
According to their calculations, two additional years of study translate into a slowdown in aging by 2 to 3%. This deceleration corresponds to a reduction of around 10% in mortality risk.
The aging of the French population is an established fact
Biological aging refers to the accumulation of molecular changes that gradually undermine the integrity and resilience of our cells, tissues and organs as time passes.
The aging of the world population is an established fact, as is that of the French population. Those over 65, who represent a fifth of the French population in 2020, will represent a quarter of the population in 2040, then almost 30% from 2050.
The increase in life expectancy continues thanks to progress in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In 2020, life expectancy in France was 79.2 years for men and 85.3 years for women.
In the middle of the 18th century, half of children died before the age of 10 and life expectancy did not exceed 25 years. It reached 30 years at the end of the century, then jumped to 37 years in 1810 thanks in part to vaccination against smallpox. The increase continued at a slow pace during the 19th century, reaching 45 years in 1900.
