We love our cities. The skyscrapers, fascinating nightlife, the convenient living with cafes around the corner and having a car in every driveway. Modern, fast and full of opportunities, but all this comes with a price tag.
Yes, the price of this rapid urbanization is quite high, and our DNA has to pay it.
For many, moving to a city is like stepping into the future. Having everything within reach is no harm. After all, cities bring us comfort, convenience, opportunities and progress.
But while our eyes admire the glitter of the city, our mind chases the thrill of living in modern society, our body is suffering. Beneath the charm of wide highways and the constant hum of traffic lies a harsh truth: urbanization is silently harming our genetic health.
Related article: How Overuse of Common Medicines Can Harm Your Genetic Health.
Key Topics:
Modern living and our genetic health
Living in urban cities changes our lives. Correct! But at the cost of our mental health, physical health and genetic health.
The air we breathe, the water we sip, the ultra-processed food we eat, stress-filled commutes we take every day, the hidden microplastic exposure, and basically everything is damaging our DNA and affecting our genes.
The advances that make life in the city so efficient are also the stressors that can interfere with how our genes function, stall the DNA repair pathways, cause oxidative stress and lead to DNA damage, which can result in long-term health issues.
In this article, we will dig out 5 common urbanization threats to our genetic health.
Chronic stress/mental pressure
Living in urban cities is like running in an ending race. Overcrowded metros, constant pressure of shining out at work, blaring horns of traffic jams, and air filled with smog. Finding even a quiet corner to breathe is a task.
These daily stressors slowly build up inside us. Urban environments expose us to constant pressure, noise, pollution and exhaustion due to overwork. Our body copes with all this by releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
Recent studies show that regular exposure to stress and thereby regular release of stress hormones can lead to DNA damage.
According to a study published in the Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology, stress is associated with increased production of sympathetic and other adrenal hormones. Epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE) and cortisol are produced during psychological stress and may affect many cell types directly.
Stress hormones don’t just affect mood or heart rate; they interfere with DNA repair mechanisms, too. Researchers say that long-term exposure to high levels of stress hormones is known to cause genetic instability.
In fact, studies in both animals and humans reveal that stress hormones can trigger various reactions, such as the production of oxidative stress, leading to permanent DNA damage and a higher risk of tumours. Particularly, the elevated cortisol levels can reduce the capacity of cells to repair DNA damage.
Its pivotal role is in epigenetic disturbance. It actually disturbs our healthy and well-established epigenetic profile and leads to health-related problems or cancer.
Sedentary lifestyle
Living in rural areas means lots of physical activity in nature, and living in urban cities means spending most of the time sitting, whether at an office desk, in front of a laptop, or stuck in endless traffic. There is no physical activity. It’s like city life encourages a sedentary lifestyle.
This sedentary lifestyle is proven to be very harmful to our DNA. Sit, work, repeat doesn’t just exhaust the body and mind but also damages DNA over time.
Several studies show that prolonged inactivity can lead to the production of reactive oxygen species. If DNA repair systems cannot keep up, it leads to the accumulation of damage in the DNA. These changes accelerate aging and increase the risk of diseases like obesity, diabetes, and infertility.
Unhealthy Urban Diet
With packaged food available 24/7 and fast food chains on every corner, our diets are becoming more dependent on ultra-processed foods. These foods are high in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, artificial preservatives, artificial colours, and additives. These ingredients affect our DNA by either genetic or epigenetic changes.
When consumed regularly, the ingredients in these ultra-processed food items can disturb the balance of our gut microbiome, and our gut microbiome plays a very important role in DNA repair and protection.
In a research paper published in Journal of Toxicology Reports reveals that Red 40 dye, a common synthetic food dye used very widely in processed food damages DNA both in vivo and in vitro and results of this study also says that consumption of Red 40 in the presence of high-fat diet for 10 months leads to dysbiosis and grade colonic inflammation in mice.
Radiation from urban infrastructure
Modern lifestyle demands 24/7 exposure to invisible radiation from mobile towers, wi-fi routers, power lines, metro rails, and even the countless devices we carry in our pockets emitting Bluetooth and other radiation throughout the day. These urban advances emit electromagnetic waves constantly.
Although this radiation is generally low, continuous and prolonged exposure can be a threat to our genetics.
EMFs and other non-ionising radiations cannot directly affect the DNA. But the constant exposure can result in the production of free radicals due to increased oxidative stress in cells.
These reactive molecules can attack DNA, cause strand breaks, and disrupt the DNA repair mechanism. Over time, all this stress can lead to mutation, increasing the risks of chronic diseases.
For detailed information on how wifi exposure can damage DNA, you can check out our article.
Noise pollution
Cities never sleep. The constant honking of vehicles, construction drills, and nightlife is never-ending.
Noise pollution is considered the second largest environmental health risk in Europe after air pollution.
What many see as just an annoyance is actually a biological stressor. Certain human studies have shown that noise-exposed workers had high markers of DNA damage and oxidative stress in blood as compared to a normal group of people.
Even animal studies gave the same results. The rats exposed to chronic traffic noise showed elevated oxidative DNA damage in the brain and heart tissues. We are planning to cover the complete article on this. I will notify you here.
So, should we go back and start living in rural areas?
No, living in urban cities is a necessity to grow. The comfort, development, opportunities and modern lifestyle are tied to urbanization, and with progress, these challenges will only grow.
But that doesn’t mean that we should not have to care about our DNA to simply adapt to a polluted, stressful and harsh environment. All we have to do is find the balance.
Simple steps like spending time in nature whenever possible, maintaining a regular exercise routine, practising yoga, meditating, eating healthy, and finding some time away from the blue screens and smartphones can not only protect our DNA but also protect our overall well-being.
Read our previous article to know about the 5 simple and scientifically proven tips to make your DNA healthy.
Wrapping up
We can’t stop urbanization, but it’s worse in tier 2 and 3 cities, having low quality of lifestyle, food, work culture and many more. The fact is, it is part of living and hustling.
The hustle will never stop. It comes with comfort. Our work is to set a balance between the hustle and the healing. Our lifestyle choices can bring a big change in our lives. Share this article and subscribe to Genetic Education.
Resources:
Flint, Melanie S., et al. “Induction of DNA Damage, Alteration of DNA Repair and Transcriptional Activation by Stress Hormones.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 32, no. 5, June 2007, pp. 470–479, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.02.013.
Zhang, Qi, et al. “The Synthetic Food Dye, Red 40, Causes DNA Damage, Causes Colonic Inflammation, and Impacts the Microbiome in Mice.” Toxicology Reports, vol. 11, no. 11, 1 Dec. 2023, pp. 221–232, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214750023000926, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.08.006.
