Social disadvantage appears to accelerate aging at the cellular level as indicated by the length of telomeres, the protective sections of DNA at the tips of chromosomes that shorten with age. For example, children who experience chronic stress from a disadvantaged life have shorter telomeres than their advantaged peers, according to a recent study of 9-year-old African-American boys. Adults who completed less than a high school education had significantly shorter telomeres than those who graduated from college, in another study. The evidence is far from conclusive, however. Some investigators have found inconsistent correlations between telomere length and socioeconomic status.
