Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found a significant tie between living through periods of poverty and aging prematurely. Applying these findings to how the United States works as a whole makes a lot of sense: I don’t know much about “business” or “making money,” but creating a health system that straps people with insurmountable debt, speeds up their aging in doing so, and then brings them back in for more healthcare they can’t afford? Seems like a hell of a money-making scheme, to me.

The study, which defined “relative poverty” as an annual income at least 60 percent below the median, measured the physical and cognitive strength of 5,500 adults. Physical challenges included things like grip strength, standing and sitting in a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds, and jumping as high as possible; cognitive challenges included memorizing a sequence of items. On average, people who’d never experienced any sort of economic hardship performed better in every category. Researchers ultimately suggest that living in relative poverty for four or more years is significantly associated with “poorer physical capability [and] cognitive function.”