Associations of Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Education With 13 Epigenetic Clocks in a Nationally Representative U.S. Sample: The Health and Retirement Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many DNA methylation-based indicators have been developed as summary measures of epigenetic aging. We examine the associations between 13 epigenetic clocks, including 4 second generation clocks, as well as the links of the clocks to social, demographic, and behavioral factors known to be related to health outcomes: sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, obesity, and lifetime smoking pack-years.

Methods

The Health and Retirement Study is the data source which is a nationally representative sample of Americans over age 50. Assessment of DNA methylation was based on the EPIC chip and epigenetic clocks were developed based on existing literature.

Results

The clocks vary in the strength of their relationships with age, with each other and with independent va

SUBMITTER: Crimmins EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8140049 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature