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Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies
Published on: May 6, 2022
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Epigenetic age acceleration correlates with BMI in young adults
Christy Anne Foster1, Malcolm Barker-Kamps1, Marlon Goering1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Aging
|January 19, 2023
Summary
Obesity in young adults is linked to accelerated epigenetic aging, particularly with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference. These findings suggest that excess weight can impact biological aging even in early adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Aging Research
- Obesity and Public Health
Background:
- Obesity is a known risk factor for age-related diseases and is associated with epigenetic age in older adults.
- Less is understood about the connection between obesity and epigenetic aging during young adulthood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between obesity (measured by BMI and waist circumference) and epigenetic aging in young adults.
- To determine if this relationship differs between males and females.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 290 healthy young adults (mean age 27.39 years).
- Measurements included Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference.
- Four epigenetic age estimators (Hannum, Horvath, Phenoage, GrimAge) were derived from salivary DNA, adjusted for sociodemographic covariates.
Main Results:
- Higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with increased Phenoage epigenetic age in both sexes, with a stronger effect for BMI in males.
- Increased waist circumference, but not BMI, correlated with higher Horvath epigenetic age.
- BMI and waist circumference were linked to higher Hannum epigenetic age in males but not females.
- No association was found between BMI, waist circumference, and GrimAge epigenetic age.
Conclusions:
- Obesity is associated with accelerated epigenetic aging in young adulthood.
- These findings highlight the impact of excess weight on biological aging early in life.
- The study replicates associations across multiple obesity measures and epigenetic aging indices.
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