Cross-National and Cross-Generational Evidence That Educational Attainment May Slow the Pace of Aging in European-Descent Individuals.
Cross-National and Cross-Generational Evidence That Educational Attainment May Slow the Pace of Aging in European-Descent Individuals.
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跨国家和跨代证据表明，教育程度可能会减缓欧洲人后裔的衰老速度。
DOI：
10.1093/geronb/gbad056
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发表时间：
2023
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C
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作者：
Sugden,Karen;Moffitt,TerrieE;Arpawong,ThalidaEm;Arseneault,Louise;Belsky,DanielW;Corcoran,DavidL;Crimmins,EileenM;Hannon,Eilis;Houts,Renate;Mill,JonathanS;Poulton,Richie;Ramrakha,Sandhya;Wertz,Jasmin;Williams,BenjaminS;C
与受教育程度较低的同龄人相比，受教育程度较高的人患多种不同年龄相关疾病的风险较低。其中一个原因可能是受教育程度较高的人衰老速度较慢。在验证这个假设时有两个复杂的问题。首先，生物衰老没有明确的衡量标准。其次，共同的遗传因素导致了较低的受教育程度和与年龄有关的疾病的发展。在这里，我们测试了在考虑遗传因素后，受教育程度的保护作用是否与衰老速度有关。方法：我们对5项研究的数据进行了分析，共涉及近17000名在不同历史时期出生在不同国家的欧洲血统的人，年龄从16岁到98岁不等。为了评估衰老的速度，我们使用了DunedinPACE，这是一种DNA甲基化算法，它反映了个体的衰老速度，并预测了与年龄相关的衰退、阿尔茨海默病和相关疾病。为了评估与教育相关的遗传因素，我们基于受教育程度的全基因组关联研究的结果创建了一个多基因评分。结果在5项研究中，在整个生命周期中，即使考虑了遗传因素，较高的受教育程度也与较慢的衰老速度相关（meta分析效应值= - 0.20；95%置信区间[CI]: - 0.30至- 0.10;p= 0.006）。此外，在考虑吸烟后，这种效应仍然存在（meta分析效应大小= - 0.13;95% CI: - 0.21至- 0.05;p= 0.01）。这些结果表明，较高的教育水平对衰老的速度有积极的影响，而且这种好处可以不考虑个人的遗传因素而实现。
ObjectivesIndividuals with more education are at lower risk of developing multiple, different age-related diseases than their less-educated peers. A reason for this might be that individuals with more education age slower. There are 2 complications in testing this hypothesis. First, there exists no definitive measure of biological aging. Second, shared genetic factors contribute toward both lower educational attainment and the development of age-related diseases. Here, we tested whether the protective effect of educational attainment was associated with the pace of aging after accounting for genetic factors.MethodsWe examined data from 5 studies together totaling almost 17,000 individuals with European ancestry born in different countries during different historical periods, ranging in age from 16 to 98 years old. To assess the pace of aging, we used DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation algorithm that reflects an individual’s rate of aging and predicts age-related decline and Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. To assess genetic factors related to education, we created a polygenic score based on the results of a genome-wide association study of educational attainment.ResultsAcross the 5 studies, and across the life span, higher educational attainment was associated with a slower pace of aging even after accounting for genetic factors (meta-analysis effect size = −0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.30 to −0.10;p= .006). Further, this effect persisted after taking into account tobacco smoking (meta-analysis effect size = −0.13; 95% CI: −0.21 to −0.05;p= .01).DiscussionThese results indicate that higher levels of education have positive effects on the pace of aging, and that the benefits can be realized irrespective of individuals’ genetics.