Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and early life accelerates aging in children, South Korea

A new study has revealed that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and early life accelerates genetic aging in children. The study was conducted by Lee Dong-hee of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Inha University Hospital.
Professor Wook's research team (corresponding author: Professor Hong Yun-cheol of the Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul Medical University) conducted a study called 'Child Environment and Development Cohort (EDC
The study was based on data from a follow-up study of 76 mother-child pairs from the 'Mother and Child Cohort'. The researchers measured DNA levels in blood samples taken when the children were 6 years old.
They analyzed the degree of A-methylation, a chemical modification process that regulates gene activity and causes certain genes to appear or disappear.
Based on this, the welfare genetic aging index is calculated based on chronological age (the number of years since birth)
If this difference correlates with exposure to or the amount of air pollutants, it is determined that welfare genetic aging has been accelerated.
Research has shown that an average of 4.56 micrograms/m3 of additional fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy can
It was found that exposure to 0.156 ppm of carbon monoxide accelerated the child's welfare genetic age by 0.406 years.
It was also found that exposure to ultrafine particulate matter, fine particulate matter, and ozone in the year prior to blood sampling at age 6 also promotes health genetic aging.
Professor Lee Dong Wook said, "Children and fetuses are vulnerable to toxic substances because they are constantly growing through cell division. Particulate matter is particularly important during pregnancy.
Exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of premature birth and low birth weight, and exposure to air pollutants during early childhood can lead to a variety of health problems, including reduced growth, allergies, respiratory diseases, and impaired neurodevelopment.
"This study is intended to clarify the effects of exposure to air pollution on children's biological age, providing important evidence for the early identification and prevention of potential disease conditions.
Previous studies have provided evidence that exposure to air pollution is associated with accelerated biological aging in adults, but studies on children have been very limited.
In particular, there was no research on the relationship between exposure to air pollution during fetal and infancy and accelerated biological aging.
Recent research has shown that it is possible to slow down the genetic aging process through diet, lifestyle changes, and drug use.
It has been reported that it is possible to improve the genetic and welfare effects of exposure to air pollutants, and it is hoped that methods will also be developed to improve some of the genetic and welfare effects of exposure to air pollutants.