“Early-life adversity, particularly forced childhood migration, is associated with higher cardiometabolic risk and accelerated biological ageing in later life, emphasizing the long-term biological costs of social and political instability.”

BUFFALO, NY — June 18, 2026 — A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging on May 26, 2026, titled “Early-life determinants of cardiometabolic outcomes and accelerated biological ageing in Colombia.”

The study was led by first and corresponding author Juan Carlos Rivillas from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom. 

Experiences during childhood can shape health for decades. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as emotional abuse, domestic violence, food insecurity, poor health, and forced displacement, have long been linked to chronic disease. However, less is known about how these early-life hardships may influence biological aging itself. In this study, researchers examined whether childhood adversity is associated with cardiometabolic disease and accelerated biological aging among older adults in Colombia.

The investigators analyzed data from 3,385 adults aged 60 years and older who participated in the nationally representative SABE-Colombia study. Five forms of childhood adversity experienced before age 15 were evaluated: emotional abuse, domestic violence, poor childhood health, food scarcity, and forced migration related to Colombia’s armed conflict. Biological aging was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal Method for Biological Age, a biomarker-based measure that compares biological age with chronological age.

The results revealed important sex-specific associations. Among women, emotional abuse, domestic violence, food scarcity, and poor childhood health were each associated with higher odds of cardiovascular disease later in life. Emotional abuse was associated with a 68% increase in the odds of cardiovascular disease, while poor childhood health was associated with a 66% increase.

Among men, one factor stood out: forced childhood migration. Men who experienced forced displacement before age 15 had higher risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension compared with those who had not been displaced. Forced migration was associated with a 60% increase in diabetes risk, a 55% increase in cardiovascular disease risk, and a 43% increase in hypertension risk.

One of the study’s most notable findings involved biological aging. Forced childhood migration was associated with accelerated biological aging in later life. Individuals who had been displaced during childhood showed biological ages that were, on average, approximately 1.5 years older than expected. The association was even stronger among women, who exhibited biological ages approximately 2.7 years older than their chronological ages.

The researchers also observed dose-response relationships between cumulative childhood adversity and adult disease risk. As the number of adverse childhood experiences increased, so did the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and other cardiometabolic conditions. These findings support the idea that childhood adversity may accumulate over time, producing long-term physiological consequences that persist into older age.

The authors suggest that chronic stress experienced during childhood may contribute to long-lasting dysregulation of inflammatory, metabolic, and neuroendocrine pathways that influence aging and disease risk. Such disruptions may increase vulnerability to age-related disease and accelerate the aging process itself.

“These individuals exhibited signs of accelerated biological aging, which means they tend to be biologically older than adults not exposed to forced childhood migration, suggesting the enduring physiological imprint of early-life trauma linked to armed conflict.”

According to the authors, the findings highlight the long-term health consequences of childhood adversity and underscore the importance of addressing social and political conditions that expose children to chronic stress and displacement. The results also suggest that forced migration during childhood may represent a previously underrecognized factor influencing biological aging decades later.

Overall, this study provides new evidence that adverse childhood experiences can shape health well into older adulthood. In particular, forced childhood migration was linked to both elevated cardiometabolic risk and accelerated biological aging, supporting the idea that early-life adversity can leave measurable biological effects that persist across the lifespan.

Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206384                

Corresponding author: Juan Carlos Rivillas – [email protected]  

Keywords: aging, adverse childhood experiences, forced childhood migration, biological ageing, cardiometabolic outcomes, life course epidemiology

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