Neighborhood environment, social cohesion, and epigenetic aging

Area of Science:

• Environmental epigenetics
• Social epidemiology
• Aging research

Background:

• Adverse neighborhood environments are linked to increased risk of aging-related diseases and mortality.
• Biological mechanisms underlying this link are not well understood.
• DNA methylation (DNAm) is a biomarker of biological aging responsive to environmental factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine associations between neighborhood social environment measures and epigenetic aging.
• To investigate potential buffering effects of social cohesion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study (n=158).
• Assessed neighborhood poverty, quality, and social cohesion.
• Analyzed associations with three epigenetic clocks (Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge) using linear regression.
• Stratified analyses by sex and social cohesion.

Main Results:

• Neighborhood quality was associated with accelerated DNAm aging across all three epigenetic clocks.
• Associations between neighborhood poverty/quality and accelerated DNAm aging were stronger in neighborhoods with lower social cohesion.
• These associations were null in neighborhoods with higher social cohesion.

Conclusions:

• Adverse neighborhood environments can accelerate epigenetic aging.
• Positive neighborhood attributes, like social cohesion, may buffer the negative effects of adverse environments on biological aging.