Childhood displacement linked to signs of faster aging in Colombia
Displacement before age 15 was linked to a 1.52-year higher biological age estimate than no displacement, with a stronger association in women.
Cohort study, dose-response
Limit: Biological age was a proxy, not a measurement of aging over time
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A cross-sectional observational study examined childhood adversity and health in 18,044 Colombian adults aged 60 or older. Participants reported five kinds of adversity before age 15, including displacement due to armed conflict. Researchers estimated biological age in a smaller sample of 3,385 participants using 11 measures of blood chemistry, blood pressure and body size. They accounted for demographic factors and childhood disadvantage.
Forced childhood displacement was linked to greater biological age acceleration: an estimate higher than expected for a person's age. The association was stronger in women, at 2.67 years. In the 18,044-person sample, displacement was linked to higher odds of diabetes, heart and blood vessel disease, and high blood pressure among men. Women reporting emotional abuse, domestic violence, food scarcity or poor childhood health had higher odds of heart and blood vessel disease.
Why it matters
The authors interpreted the results as evidence of long-term biological costs of social and political instability that extend into older age.
Caveats
Cross-sectional data and recalled childhood experiences cannot establish cause and effect; the biological age estimate was a proxy, not a measurement of aging over time. The study excluded institutionalized older adults and those with significant cognitive impairment.
The paper
Early-life determinants of cardiometabolic outcomes and accelerated biological ageing in Colombia
MRC Centre for Environment and Health
Aging, May 26, 2026, Open access
