Jammu, April 12 -- A groundbreaking theory called 'weathering' may explain why health outcomes often differ significantly between racial groups in many societies. Research over the past few decades suggests that long-term exposure to stress stemming from racism and discrimination can actually accelerate the aging process at a cellular level in people of color.

The concept was first coined in the 90s by sociologist Arline Geronimus, who noticed unexpected trends in health data from Black mothers in the US. Since then, countless studies have provided compelling evidence that chronic racism-related stress causes greater 'wear and tear' on the body as measured by biomarkers like cortisol levels and telomere length.

This internal 'weathering...