Middle-Aged Men May Be Aging Faster Due to ‘Forever Chemicals’

Middle-aged men may be aging faster due to “forever chemicals,” according to a new study.

Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of synthetic chemicals often used in non-stick coatings, food packages, cleaning products, plastics and more.

In the study, published Feb. 25 in the journal Frontiers in Aging, researchers found specific forever chemicals, namely perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (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, being the most vulnerable group.

Using public 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 for their water-, grease-, and stain-repellent properties and ability to withstand heat and corrosion, according to a news release.

As to why the effects appeared strongest in middle-aged men, the authors point to lifestyle factors.

“We suspect that men may be at higher risk because the aging markers we analyzed are heavily influenced by lifestyle factors such as smoking, which can compound the damaging effects of these pollutants,” said Dr Xiangwei Li, study author and professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.

Study author Dr. Ya-Qian Xu from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine added that midlife is a “sensitive biological window where the body becomes more susceptible to age-related stressors, which may 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 risk by limiting consumption of packaged foods and avoid microwaving 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