Community Corner

Study: Racism Ages Black Men, May Increase Disease

A University of Maryland study looked at the physical effects of racial discrimination on the health of African-American men.

University of Maryland study found that the more racial discrimination black men experienced, the greater their signs of accelerated aging, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Researchers asked the subjects to report their experiences with discrimination, including at restaurants and stores, with police and with work and housing.

"Our findings suggest that racism literally makes people old," professor David Chae said in a statement.

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According to the study, black men who reported more serious or frequent racial discrimination and who had an implicit bias against their own race had far shorter telomeres, which cap the ends of DNA chromosomes and naturally shrink over time.

Shorter telomeres are linked to an increased risk of early death and diseases like diabetes, dementia, stroke and heart disease. 

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>>Read the full report on the Baltimore Sun website.


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