When you think about the dangers of extreme heat, sunburn, dehydration, and heatstroke likely come to mind. But new research from the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology reveals a deeper, more insidious threat: accelerated aging at the cellular level. Scientists are now uncovering how long-term exposure to high temperatures, especially in cities like Phoenix, Houston, and Miami, can speed up biological aging in ways comparable to smoking or heavy drinking. From heart strain to epigenetic changes, heat is quietly wearing us down from the inside out.
Click on to explore how heat may be silently aging you, and what you can do to fight back.