Living in poverty and accelerated biological aging: evidence from population-representative sample of U.S. adults

Objective Evidence from cross-sectional studies mainly among postmenopausal women suggests that biological aging is associated with reproductive senescence. We evaluated the prospective association of cellular markers of biological aging measured during the premenopausal period, and changes in these markers, with age at menopause. Methods We studied 583 premenopausal women (39% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study who had data on biological aging markers in 2000-2001 and reached menopause by 2020-2021. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of telomere length, mitochondrial DNA copy number, intrinsic or extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration, and PhenoAge or GrimAge acceleration with age at menopause. Results The mean age at baseline was 41.2 ± 3.3 years, with the mean age at menopause being 49.1 (median, 50) years. About one in five women had surgical menopause. In chronological age-adjusted models, only baseline GrimAge acceleration was associated with age at menopause; women whose epigenetic age was older than their chronological age reached menopause at 0.12 years (~6 weeks) earlier compared with women with equal epigenetic and chronological age (β = −0.123; 95% CI, −0.224 to −0.022; P = 0.018). However, this association was not statistically significant after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavior/lifestyle, and metabolic factors. Similar results were observed when changes in these biological aging markers were evaluated. The same associations were observed in analyses limited to women who reached natural menopause. Conclusions Sociodemographic, behavior/lifestyle, and metabolic factors remain comparable, if not more robust predictors of the age at menopause compared with cellular measures of biological age.

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Monoterpenes in Your Beverage: A Flavoring Catalyst for Faster Aging?

Zhao,

Li,

Gao

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background Aging is characterized by the progressive deterioration of tissue structure and physiological functions. While the impact of sugar and artificial sweeteners in beverages on biological aging, mediated through increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity, has been well-documented, the potential effects of other food additives, particularly monoterpenes, have not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between high exposure to monoterpenes in beverages and biological age acceleration. Methods Included in the current study were 1,217 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2013–2014. Beverage intake was assessed through the 24-hour dietary recall. Serum levels of three monoterpenes—limonene, α-pinene, and β-pinene were used to estimate monoterpene exposure. Biological age was assessed using phenotypic age (PA), with acceleration calculated as the difference from chronological age. Multiple statistical approaches, including linear regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models, quantile g-computation (Qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), were employed to analyze associations between beverage intake, monoterpene exposure and biological aging. Furthermore, mediation analyses were conducted to explore the mediated effects of monoterpenes and BMI on the association of beverage intake with PA acceleration. Results High beverage intake (β = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.26, 1.62) and increased exposure to monoterpenes, particularly limonene (β = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.55, 2.76) and β-pinene (β = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.53, 2.18), were associated with accelerated PA. In the RCS analyses, the effects of limonene and β-pinene on PA acceleration exhibited both linear and nonlinear. In the Qgcomp model, the mixed exposure of three monoterpenes had a significant positive relationship with PA acceleration (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.37). Moreover, we observed antagonistic effects between limonene and each of α-pinene and β-pinene concerning the acceleration of biological aging in the BKMR model. Additionally, limonene and BMI were identified as parallel mediators of the relationship between beverage intake and PA acceleration. Conclusion The study provides novel insights into the detrimental effects of high monoterpene exposures in beverages on biological aging. These findings highlight the importance of considering a broader range of food additives in public health guidelines, as their impact on long-term health outcomes may be significant.

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Living in poverty and accelerated biological aging: evidence from population-representative sample of U.S. adults

Cited by 3 publications

References 38 publications

Dose-response relationship between leisure-time physical activity patterns and phenotypic age acceleration in American adults: A cross-sectional analysis

Dose-response relationship between leisure-time physical activity patterns and phenotypic age acceleration in American adults: A cross-sectional analysis

The prospective association of cellular markers of biological aging with menopause in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Monoterpenes in Your Beverage: A Flavoring Catalyst for Faster Aging?

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