Associations of Early-Life Adversity With Later-Life Epigenetic Aging Profiles in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract Epigenetic biomarkers of accelerated aging have been widely used to predict disease risk and may enhance our understanding of biological mechanisms between early-life adversity and disparities in aging. With respect to childhood adversity, most studies have used parental education or childh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 2023-11, Vol.192 (12), p.1991-2005
Main Authors: Schmitz, Lauren L, Duffie, Elizabeth, Zhao, Wei, Ratliff, Scott M, Ding, Jingzhong, Liu, Yongmei, Merkin, Sharon Stein, Smith, Jennifer A, Seeman, Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Aging
Aging - genetics
Aging - psychology
Arteriosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis - genetics
Biomarkers
Children
Deprivation
DNA Methylation
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Health risks
Humans
Mortality risk
Original Contribution
Social behavior
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Summary:Abstract Epigenetic biomarkers of accelerated aging have been widely used to predict disease risk and may enhance our understanding of biological mechanisms between early-life adversity and disparities in aging. With respect to childhood adversity, most studies have used parental education or childhood disadvantage and/or have not examined the role played by socioemotional or physical abuse and trauma in epigenetic profiles at older ages. This study leveraged data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) on experiences of threat and deprivation in participants’ early lives (i.e., before the age of 18 years) to examine whether exposure to specific dimensions of early-life adversity is associated with epigenetic profiles at older ages that are indicative of accelerated biological aging. The sample included 842 MESA respondents with DNA methylation data collected between 2010 and 2012 who answered questions on early-life adversities in a 2018–2019 telephone follow-up. We found that experiences of deprivation, but not threat, were associated with later-life GrimAge epigenetic aging signatures that were developed to predict mortality risk. Results indicated that smoking behavior partially mediates this association, which suggests that lifestyle behaviors may act as downstream mechanisms between parental deprivation in early life and accelerated epigenetic aging in later life.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/aje/kwad172