Many people know that having a good home is important for their health and happiness. But new research shows that where and how you live might actually be making you age faster.
Scientists have found that renting a home in the private sector and being exposed to pollution could speed up what’s called “biological aging.” This means your body may be wearing out faster on the inside than your actual age suggests.
This research was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. The study found that renting privately could affect your body’s aging almost twice as much as being unemployed compared to having a job.
That’s a surprising discovery. But the good news is that this kind of aging isn’t permanent—it can be reversed. That means changes in housing policies could help improve public health.
The way we live can affect our health in many ways. For example, people may feel stressed if their rent is too high or if their home is cold or moldy. These problems can make both mental and physical health worse.
To study this issue, researchers looked at DNA methylation, which is a way scientists measure how genes change in response to life conditions. They used blood samples and health data from 1,420 people, along with answers from big UK surveys about where people live, how much they pay for housing, and whether they’ve had trouble making payments.
The scientists also looked at many other factors like age, gender, nationality, education, income, smoking, weight, diet, and whether people live in cities. They tried to understand how housing affects aging even when these other things are considered.
The results were eye-opening. People who rented in the private market aged faster than people who owned their homes. In fact, the effect of renting privately was almost twice as strong as the effect of being unemployed, and it was even stronger than the difference in aging between people who used to smoke and those who never smoked.
The study also found that people who had trouble paying rent again and again or who were exposed to pollution were more likely to show signs of faster aging.
On the other hand, people living in social housing, which is usually cheaper and more stable, did not age faster than homeowners. That shows that not all renting is bad—what matters is the cost and security of the housing.
It’s important to know that this was an observational study. That means it found connections between housing and aging, but it can’t prove that one causes the other. There were also limits to the study, like only having DNA data from white Europeans and not enough information about housing quality.
Still, the study sends a powerful message: stressful housing situations may hurt your health by speeding up your body’s aging. But because biological aging can be reversed, there’s hope. Policies that protect renters—such as fair rent prices, better living conditions, and ending harsh eviction practices—might help people stay healthier for longer.
In short, how we design our housing systems doesn’t just affect money or lifestyle—it can also shape our health. A safe, stable, and affordable home might be one of the best ways to keep our bodies younger and healthier.
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