Cuevas Adolfo G, Cole Steven W, Belsky Daniel W, McSorley Anna-Michelle, Shon Jung Min, Chang Virginia W
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice, and Public Health, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
Brain Behav Immun Health. 2024 May 9;39:100774. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100774. eCollection 2024 Aug.
Discrimination is a social determinant of health and health disparities for which the biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the hypothesis that discrimination contributes to poor health outcomes by accelerating biological processes of aging. We analyzed survey and blood DNA methylation data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 1967). We used linear regression analysis to test associations of everyday, major, and workplace discrimination with biological aging measured by the DunedinPACE, PhenoAge, and GrimAge2 epigenetic clocks. MIDUS participants who reported more discrimination tended to exhibit a faster pace of aging and older biological age as compared to peers who reported less discrimination. Effect-sizes for associations tended to be larger for the DunedinPACE pace-of-aging clock (effect-size range r = 0.1-0.2) as compared with the PhenoAge and GrimAge2 biological-age clocks (effect-sizes r < 0.1) and for experiences of everyday and major discrimination as compared with workplace discrimination. Smoking status and body-mass index accounted for roughly half of observed association between discrimination and biological aging. Reports of discrimination were more strongly associated with accelerated biological aging among White as compared with Black participants, although Black participants reported more discrimination overall and tended to exhibit older biological age and faster biological aging. Findings support the hypothesis that experiences of interpersonal discrimination contribute to accelerated biological aging and suggest that structural and individual-level interventions to reduce discrimination and promote adaptive coping have potential to support healthy aging and build health equity.
歧视是健康和健康差异的一个社会决定因素，其生物学机制仍知之甚少。本研究调查了以下假设：歧视通过加速衰老的生物学过程导致不良健康结果。我们分析了来自美国中年（MIDUS）研究（N = 1967）的调查和血液DNA甲基化数据。我们使用线性回归分析来测试日常、重大和职场歧视与由达尼丁PACE、PhenoAge和GrimAge2表观遗传时钟测量的生物学衰老之间的关联。与报告较少歧视的同龄人相比，报告更多歧视的MIDUS参与者往往表现出更快的衰老速度和更大的生物学年龄。与PhenoAge和GrimAge2生物学年龄时钟（效应大小r < 0.1）相比，达尼丁PACE衰老速度时钟的关联效应大小往往更大（效应大小范围r = 0.1 - 0.2），并且与职场歧视相比，日常和重大歧视经历的效应大小更大。吸烟状况和体重指数约占歧视与生物学衰老之间观察到的关联的一半。与黑人参与者相比，白人参与者中歧视报告与加速生物学衰老的关联更强，尽管黑人参与者总体上报告了更多歧视，并且往往表现出更大的生物学年龄和更快的生物学衰老。研究结果支持人际歧视经历导致加速生物学衰老的假设，并表明减少歧视和促进适应性应对的结构性和个体层面干预措施有可能支持健康衰老并建立健康公平。
