How does socioeconomic position affect our health? - Science Weekly podcast

This week, Ian Sample and Nicola Davis explore the complex relationship between poverty, stress, and life expectancy

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In 2016, the New Policy Institute estimated that 13.5 million people in the UK - that's a fifth of the population - were living in poverty. For this shockingly large group, life doesn't get much harder and the impact goes far beyond their financial position. Their general health takes a hit too, cutting short their life expectancy. And with a slew of recent scientific studies examining the issue, we ask: what does poverty do to our health and wellbeing? And what physiological processes might be at work?