孤独感、表观遗传衰老与成年后期多种疾病之间的关联。
Associations Between Loneliness, Epigenetic Aging, and Multimorbidity Through Older Adulthood.
机构信息
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Program in Public Health and Department of Family, Population, and Preventative Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
出版信息
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2024 Dec 1;79(12). doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbae169.
OBJECTIVES
Loneliness is a pressing public health concern, but the mechanisms by which it leads to declining physical health are uncertain. Prior work has begun to explore epigenetic pathways, with some evidence suggesting a link between loneliness and DNA methylation, though it is unclear whether epigenetic variation can help explain loneliness-health associations.
METHODS
Associations between loneliness and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) were estimated, as well as the degree to which EAA mediated and moderated the association between loneliness and the development of chronic physical health conditions (multimorbidity) in older adulthood. The sample consisted of Health and Retirement Study participants who provided blood draws and consented to methylation profiling (n = 4,018).
RESULTS
Baseline loneliness was associated with greater EAA in the GrimAge measure net of demographic and behavioral covariates (β = 0.07, p = .003). Loneliness and GrimAge each predicted increasing condition counts, but there was no evidence of an interactive effect. The association between loneliness and increasing condition counts was, however, significantly mediated by GrimAge (indirect path β = 0.020, p = .003).
DISCUSSION
These results suggest that the impact of loneliness on multimorbidity may, in part, operate through DNA methylation. The specific intermediary, physiological mechanisms that are involved will require further research, but EAA measures like GrimAge are promising in helping to understand the health impacts of loneliness.
目的
孤独是一个紧迫的公共卫生问题，但它导致身体健康状况下降的机制尚不确定。先前的工作已经开始探索表观遗传途径，有一些证据表明孤独与 DNA 甲基化之间存在联系，但尚不清楚表观遗传变异是否可以帮助解释孤独与健康之间的关联。
方法
估计孤独感与表观遗传年龄加速（EAA）之间的关联，以及 EAA 在多大程度上调节和调节孤独感与老年慢性身体健康状况（多种疾病）发展之间的关联。该样本由提供血液样本并同意进行甲基化分析的健康与退休研究参与者组成（n=4018）。
结果
在减去人口统计学和行为协变量后，基线孤独感与 GrimAge 测量中的 EAA 增加显著相关（β=0.07，p=0.003）。孤独感和 GrimAge 都预测了疾病数量的增加，但没有交互作用的证据。然而，孤独感与疾病数量增加之间的关联通过 GrimAge 显著中介（间接路径 β=0.020，p=0.003）。
讨论
这些结果表明，孤独对多种疾病的影响可能部分通过 DNA 甲基化发生。涉及的具体中介生理机制需要进一步研究，但像 GrimAge 这样的 EAA 测量方法在帮助理解孤独对健康的影响方面很有前景。
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