Epigenetic or social factors – what predicts health and aging better?

Can we objectively determine how fast we age? Scientists may be able to change the rate of aging and live longer, healthier lives by taking appropriate measures. Researchers know that some people age faster than others and have tried to briefly measure the internal physiological changes that lead to poorer health as we age.

For years, researchers have clinical factor It is usually collected in physical examinations, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight, as indicators of aging. The idea was that these measurements could determine whether aging is fast or slow at any point in the life cycle. theorized that there is Molecular and cellular levelThis includes changes to a person’s genetic material itself, or epigenetics.

Although each person’s genetic makeup changes little over a lifetime, chemical changes that occur to the genetic material throughout life can turn which genes on or off, leading to more rapid aging. , with the addition of methyl groups to DNA, social influence and environmental exposureadverse childhood experiences, smoking, pollution, depression, etc.

But to what extent can epigenetic markers predict important health changes associated with aging? socializingthe scientist He studies how social factors predict aging.our Research so far It has been shown that factors such as education, poverty, race, access to health care, and certain health behaviors can affect aging rates.We are incorporating biological measures such as epigenetic age into large population studies to understand how social factors go ‘under the skin’ and influence aging. among recently published researchfound that epigenetic age predicts certain health outcomes later in life but can hardly explain important differences related to social factors.

What is epigenetic aging?

2013, Geneticist and Biostatistician Steve Horvath human aging rate level of methylation in their genome. He also developed a method to measure epigenetic age in years and compare this age to chronological age.

Researchers have since developed some measures Health can be predicted more reliably based on epigenetics. Some have suggested that DNA methylation could be used to recapitulate the amount and rate of aging. a few drops of blood.

Comparing epigenetic and social factors

It is unclear to what extent epigenetic age can predict health outcomes compared to other non-genetic factors such as demographics and socioeconomic status. We wanted to determine whether epigenetic age, as measured by DNA methylation levels in the blood, predicts four age-related health outcomes: death, chronic disease, physical disability, and cognitive impairment. It was.

Use of data from Health and Retirement Researcha large, nationally representative sample of Americans aged 56 and older, was found to be epigenetic age Predicted all health outcomes studiedEpigenetic age was the strongest predictor of mortality and morbidity later in life. So, overall, people with higher epigenetic age had worse health.

On the other hand, at the epigenetic age, people with certain demographics, such as being less educated, smoking, being black or Hispanic, being obese, or having a more difficult childhood, are more likely to be healthy. We could not explain why we experienced worsening of the condition earlier or more frequently. It significantly predicted physical and cognitive function.

Our findings suggest that DNA methylation is a useful addition to the toolbox, predicting health outcomes later in life, while others such as demographics, socioeconomic status, mental health and health behaviors factors continue to be predictors of health, if not more robust.

Better predictions of aging and health

Epigenetic aging processes such as DNA methylation hold promise for explaining aging. However, researchers still have a long way to go before they fully understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying aging.

Improving our ability to measure both the lifelong social experiences that influence biology and the biological mechanisms underlying aging will not only lead to better measurements of aging, but to those who need it most. This may lead to better treatment and prevention of disease.

Eileen Crimminsprofessor of gerontology, University of Southern California and Jessica FowleAssociate Professor of Epidemiology Research, University of Michigan

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