The Seasonality of Mortality in Later Life

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2025/01/the-seasonality-of-mortality-in-later-life/

In the northern hemisphere, mortality increases in the winter. This is in large part because influenza is a winter phenomenon, and old people are vulnerable to infection and downstream consequences of infection. Cold weather provides a number of opportunities beyond infection for additional stresses to be placed on an aged body, however. An important characteristic of the frailty of old age is an inability to resist stresses that younger people would take in their stride, instead tipping over into the downward spiral to mortality. Researchers here survey the seasonality of human mortality, quantifying the overall size of the effect.

Seasonal fluctuations in mortality affect annual life expectancy at birth (e0). Nevertheless, evidence on the impact of seasonal mortality on longev…

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