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Journal article
Grandparents’ Educational Attainment is Associated with Grandchildren’s Epigenetic-Based Age Acceleration in the National Growth and Health Study
Social science & medicine (1982), v 355, 117142
05 Aug 2024
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Abstract
We examined three generations (grandparents, mothers, and grandchildren) to assess the association between grandparents’ educational attainment and their children's epigenetic-based age acceleration and whether the association was mediated by parental educational attainment and mothers’ life course health-related factors. Mothers were recruited to the NHLBI Growth and Health Study at 9-10 years and followed for 10 years (1987-1998). Mothers were then re-contacted three decades later (ages 37-42) to participate in the National Growth and Health Study (NGHS), and health information from their youngest children (i.e., grandchildren; N = 241, ages 2-17) was collected, including their saliva samples to calculate epigenetic age. Five epigenetic-based age acceleration measures were included in this analysis, including four epigenetic clock age accelerations (Horvath, Hannum, GrimAge, and PhenoAge) and DunedinPACE. Grandparents reported their highest education during the initial enrollment interviews. Parental educational attainment and mothers’ life course health-related factors (childhood BMI trajectories, adult cardiovascular health behavioral risk score, and adult c-reactive protein) are included as mediators. Grandparents’ education was significantly associated with Horvath age acceleration (b = -0.32, SE = 0.14, p = .021). Grandchildren with college-degree grandparents showed significantly slower Horvath age accelerations than those without college degrees. This association was partially mediated by parental education and mothers’ health-related factors, especially adult cardiovascular health behavioral risk score and CRP, but not mothers’ childhood BMI trajectory. This ability to conserve the speed of biological aging may have considerable consequences in shaping health trajectories across the lifespan.
•We examined epigenetic intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status.•Grandparents' education was linked to grandchildren’s epigenetic age acceleration.•Parental education and health partially mediated the association.•Intergenerational SES is linked to the ability to conserve biological aging.
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Details
- Title
- Grandparents’ Educational Attainment is Associated with Grandchildren’s Epigenetic-Based Age Acceleration in the National Growth and Health Study
- Creators
- Agus Surachman (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University, Epidemiology and BiostatisticsElissa Hamlat - University of California, San FranciscoAnthony S. Zannas - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillSteve Horvath - University of California, Los AngelesBarbara Laraia - University of California, BerkeleyElissa Epel - University of California, San Francisco
- Publication Details
- Social science & medicine (1982), v 355, 117142
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- Drexel FIRST (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) Program, National Institutes of Health: U54CA267735-02 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: R01HD073568 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant Neighborhood Environments and Intergenerational Transmission of Cardiovascular Health: R56HL141878 National Institute on Aging: R56AG059677, R01AG059677
Agus Surachman is supported by the Drexel FIRST (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) Program, National Institutes of Health grant U54CA267735-02. The study was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant Race, stress and dysregulated eating: Maternal to child transmission of obesity [R01HD073568], the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant Neighborhood Environments and Intergenerational Transmission of Cardiovascular Health [R56HL141878] , and the National Institute on Aging grants Early Life Adversity, Cumulative Life Stress, Race, and Cellular Aging in Midlife Women and Offspring [R56AG059677 & R01AG059677], and by the LSP Family Foundation.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health; Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001289338100001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85200225612
- Other Identifier
- 991021893415304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Social Sciences, Biomedical