Socioeconomic status, non-communicable disease risk factors, and walking speed in older adults: Multi-cohort population based study

Objective To assess the association of low socioeconomic status and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (diabetes, high alcohol intake, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking) with loss of physical functioning at older ages. Design Multi-cohort population based study. Setting 37 cohort studies from 24 cou

Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging : a multi-cohort analysis

Differences in health status by socioeconomic position (SEP) tend to be more evident at older ages, suggesting the involvement of a biological mechanism responsive to the accumulation of deleterious exposures across the lifespan. DNA methylation (DNAm) has been proposed as a biomarker of biological aging that conserves memory of endogenous and exogenous stress during life.We examined the association of education level, as an indicator of SEP, and lifestyle-related variables with four biomarkers of age-dependent DNAm dysregulation: the total number of stochastic epigenetic mutations (SEMs) and three epigenetic clocks (Horvath, Hannum and Levine), in 18 cohorts spanning 12 countries.The four biological aging biomarkers were associated with education and different sets of risk factors independently, and the magnitude of the effects differed depending on the biomarker and the predictor. On average, the effect of low education on epigenetic aging was comparable with those of other lifestyle-related risk factors (obesity, alcohol intake), with the exception of smoking, which had a significantly stronger effect.Our study shows that low education is an independent predictor of accelerated biological (epigenetic) aging and that epigenetic clocks appear to be good candidates for disentangling the biological pathways underlying social inequalities in healthy aging and longevity

Physical activity partially mediates associations between “Big” personality traits and incident generalized anxiety disorder: Findings from the irish longitudinal study on ageing

Background: This study aimed to examine associations of personality with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and physical activity (PA), PA with GAD, and PA mediates associations between personality and incident GAD. Methods: Participants aged ≥50 years completed the 60-item NEO-Five Factor Inventory questionnaire to assess personality and short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline, and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview – Short Form to clinically assess GAD at baseline and 2, 4, and 6 years later. Participants who had GAD at baseline or reported having ever been told by a doctor that they had anxiety were excluded from analyses. Binary logistic regression quantified associations of the ‘Big Five’ personality traits with PA and incident GAD, and associations of PA with incident GAD (i.e., GAD at any point during follow-up). The ‘counterfactual approach’ identified potential mediating effects of PA in the associations between personality traits and incident GAD. Results: Participants (n = 4582; 53.7% female) were aged 64.38 ± 8.88 years. Incidence of GAD was 2.95% (n = 135). Extraversion (OR=1.160, 95%CI=1.087–1.237), openness (1.113, 1.043–1.188), and conscientiousness (1.083, 1.015–1.155) were positively associated with physical activity. Neuroticism was positively (2.335, 1.945–2.803), and extraversion (0.700, 0.563–0.797), conscientiousness (0.826, 0.693–0.985), and PA (0.655, 0.451–0.952) were inversely, associated with the incident GAD. Approximately 8.7% of the effect of extraversion and 8.8% of the effect of conscientiousness on GAD was due to mediation by PA only. Limitations: PA was self-reported Conclusions: Personality screening may help to identify older adults at-risk of anxiety who would benefit from participation in physical activity interventions

Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: A multi-cohort analysis

Differences in health status by socioeconomic position (SEP) tend to be more evident at older ages, suggesting the involvement of a biological mechanism responsive to the accumulation of deleterious exposures across the lifespan. DNA methylation (DNAm) has been proposed as a biomarker of biological aging that conserves memory of endogenous and exogenous stress during life. We examined the association of education level, as an indicator of SEP, and lifestyle-related variables with four biomarkers of age-dependent DNAm dysregulation: the total number of stochastic epigenetic mutations (SEMs) and three epigenetic clocks (Horvath, Hannum and Levine), in 18 cohorts spanning 12 countries. The four biological aging biomarkers were associated with education and different sets of risk factors independently, and the magnitude of the effects differed depending on the biomarker and the predictor. On average, the effect of low education on epigenetic aging was comparable with those of other lifestyle-related risk factors (obesity, alcohol intake), with the exception of smoking, which had a significantly stronger effect. Our study shows that low education is an independent predictor of accelerated biological (epigenetic) aging and that epigenetic clocks appear to be good candidates for disentangling the biological pathways underlying social inequalities in healthy aging and longevity