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Extremely Low Birth Weight and Accelerated Biological Aging
Ryan J Van Lieshout1, Patrick O McGowan2, Wilfred C de Vega2
1Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences.
Insights
Men born extremely low birth weight (ELBW) may experience accelerated aging compared to normal birth weight (NBW) peers. This study used epigenetic clocks to assess biological aging in ELBW survivors. Further research is needed to promote healthy aging in preterm infants.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Aging Research
- Perinatal Medicine
Background:
- Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survivors face physiological stress, potentially leading to accelerated aging.
- Longitudinal studies on ELBW survivors are crucial for understanding long-term health outcomes.
- Biological aging markers in ELBW individuals require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare biological aging between extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survivors and normal birth weight (NBW) controls.
- To investigate the role of epigenetic clocks in assessing aging in ELBW individuals.
- To identify sex-specific differences in aging patterns among ELBW survivors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized buccal cells from 45 ELBW survivors and 49 NBW controls aged 30-35 years.
- Calculated epigenetic age using DNA methylation data from a 353-cytosine-phosphate-guanine site epigenetic clock.
- Employed the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation EPIC 850k BeadChip array for methylation analysis.
Main Results:
- A significant sex by birth weight group interaction was found in epigenetic age (P = .03).
- ELBW men exhibited significantly older epigenetic age (4.6 years, P = .01) compared to NBW men.
- No significant difference in epigenetic age was observed between ELBW women and NBW women.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal exposures may significantly influence the aging process.
- Men born preterm may experience accelerated biological aging.
- Monitoring and promoting healthy aging in preterm survivors, especially men, is essential.
Background And Objectives:
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) (<1000 g) survivors are exposed to elevated levels of physiologic stress during their lives and may be susceptible to accelerated aging. Using the oldest known longitudinally followed cohort of ELBW survivors, we compared biological aging in this group using an epigenetic clock to a sample of matched normal birth weight (NBW) (>2500 g) control participants.
Methods:
Buccal cells were collected from 45 ELBW survivors and 49 NBW control participants at 30 to 35 years of age. Epigenetic age was calculated from the weighted average of DNA methylation at 353 cytosine-phosphate-guanine sequence within DNA sites, by using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation EPIC 850k BeadChip array.
Results:
Before and after statistically adjusting for neurosensory impairment and the presence of chronic health conditions, a significant sex by birth weight group interaction was observed in the 353-site epigenetic-clock assay (P = .03), whereby ELBW men had a significantly older epigenetic age than NBW men (4.6 years; P = .01). Women born at ELBW were not found to be epigenetically older than their NBW peers.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that prenatal exposures may play an important role in aging, and that men born preterm may experience accelerated aging relative to their peers. We further highlight the need to monitor and promote the health of preterm survivors, with a particular focus on healthy aging across the life span.
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