Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, USA; College of Nursing and Health Profession, Drexel University, USA.
Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2024 Aug;355:117142. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117142. Epub 2024 Jul 14.
We examined three generations (grandparents, mothers, and grandchildren) to assess the association between grandparents' educational attainment and their grandchildren's epigenetic-based age acceleration and whether the association was mediated by parental educational attainment and mothers' life course health-related factors. Mothers were recruited to the NHLBI Growth and Health Study at 9-10 years and followed for 10 years (1987-1998). Mothers were then re-contacted three decades later (ages 37-42) to participate in the National Growth and Health Study (NGHS), and health information from their youngest child (i.e., grandchildren; N = 241, ages 2-17) was collected, including their saliva samples to calculate epigenetic age. Five epigenetic-based age acceleration measures were included in this analysis, including four epigenetic clock age accelerations (Horvath, Hannum, GrimAge, and PhenoAge) and DunedinPACE. Grandparents reported their highest education during the initial enrollment interviews. Parental educational attainment and mothers' life course health-related factors (childhood BMI trajectories, adult cardiovascular health behavioral risk score, and adult c-reactive protein) are included as mediators. Grandparents' education was significantly associated with Horvath age acceleration (b = -0.32, SE = 0.14, p = 0.021). Grandchildren with college-degree grandparents showed significantly slower Horvath age accelerations than those without college degrees. This association was partially mediated by parental education and mothers' health-related factors, especially adult cardiovascular health behavioral risk score and CRP, but not mothers' childhood BMI trajectory. This ability to conserve the speed of biological aging may have considerable consequences in shaping health trajectories across the lifespan.
我们研究了三代人（祖父母、母亲和孙辈），以评估祖父母的受教育程度与其孙辈基于表观遗传学的年龄加速之间的关联，以及这种关联是否通过父母的受教育程度和母亲的生命历程健康相关因素来介导。母亲在 9-10 岁时被招募到 NHLBI 生长与健康研究中，并随访了 10 年（1987-1998 年）。然后，30 年后（年龄 37-42 岁）再次联系母亲参加国家生长与健康研究（NGHS），并收集了她们最小孩子（即孙辈；N=241，年龄 2-17 岁）的健康信息，包括他们的唾液样本以计算表观遗传学年龄。本分析包括五种基于表观遗传学的年龄加速测量方法，包括四个表观遗传时钟年龄加速（Horvath、Hannum、GrimAge 和 PhenoAge）和 DunedinPACE。祖父母在最初的入组访谈中报告了他们的最高教育程度。父母的受教育程度和母亲的生命历程健康相关因素（儿童 BMI 轨迹、成人心血管健康行为风险评分和成人 c-反应蛋白）被纳入作为中介。祖父母的教育程度与 Horvath 年龄加速显著相关（b=-0.32，SE=0.14，p=0.021）。有大学学历祖父母的孙辈的 Horvath 年龄加速明显较慢，而没有大学学历的孙辈则没有。这种关联部分通过父母的教育和母亲的健康相关因素来介导，特别是成人心血管健康行为风险评分和 CRP，但不是母亲的儿童 BMI 轨迹。这种保持生物衰老速度的能力可能对塑造整个生命周期的健康轨迹产生重大影响。
