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  • ‘Wealth Hormone’ May Lead to Longer Life

    It is a sad fact of socioeconomics that the wealthy tend to lead healthier, longer lives than do the poor. Now scientists have gone a step further, finding a specific hormone that links wealth with a longer life.

    Bloomberg News
    “We’ll never be sick, we won’t get any older, and we won’t ever die.”
    Ben (as played by Wilford Brimley, left, in “Cocoon.”)

    The hormone is called DHEAS–or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate–a natural steroid produced by the brain, adrenal glands and sexual organs. Those with higher levels of DHEAS tend to exercise more, have more hobbies and have closer relationships with friends and family. They also tend to live longer.

    Researchers from the University College London, working on the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, studied thousands of people over the age of 50 and found that wealthier people had higher levels of DHEAS.


    “A striking new finding is that the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate [DHEAS] that predicts life expectancy also follows a social gradient: less wealth, lower levels of DHEAS,” said Prof. Michael Marmot of the university’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

    The implication is that wealth brings freedom and time to eat well, exercise, enjoy various pastimes and stay closer to family and friends.


    But ultimately the report could be good news for rich and poor alike. If DHEAS can be artificially produced in the future–and if its antiaging properties are real–it could be more widely distributed.

    What is more, people may be able to produce more of their own DHEAS even if they aren’t wealthy, by leading more DHEAS-friendly lives–more exercise, more friendships and more hobbies–though, as the article notes, production of DHEAS is greatest in childhood and teenage years, gradually declines thereafter.

    Of course, if you spend time doing all that, you might not get wealthy.

    Do you think greater wealth leads to a longer life?

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