Financial hardship can lead to premature ageing in youngsters

Image for representational purpose only

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Poverty and financial hardship early in life may put youngsters at risk of premature ageing, a study has disclosed.

"Income is dynamic and individuals are likely to experience income changes and mobility especially between young adulthood and midlife," said lead investigator Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri from University of Miami.

"The study places economic hardship as the pathway to cognitive ageing and as an important contributor to premature ageing among economically disadvantaged populations," Hazzouri added. 

The researchers found strong and graded associations between exposure to economic hardship and worse cognitive function, especially in processing speed.

(With IANS inputs)