An epigenetic clock analysis of race/ethnicity, sex, and coronary heart disease.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Observational multi-cohort study evaluating tissue epigenetic aging and incident cardiovascular outcomes
PubMed 27511193 · doi:10.1186/s13059-016-1030-0
What was done
The authors evaluated intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (independent of cell counts) and extrinsic epigenetic aging rates (dependent on cell counts to track immune system aging) in blood, saliva, and brain samples across seven racial/ethnic groups. They evaluated associations between epigenetic clock measures, sex, race/ethnicity, coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors, and incident CHD outcomes.
What was found
The abstract reports qualitative comparisons without numerical effect sizes or p-values. In blood, Hispanics and Tsimane Amerindians showed lower intrinsic but higher extrinsic epigenetic aging rates compared to Caucasians. African-Americans showed lower extrinsic epigenetic aging rates than Caucasians and Hispanics, with no significant intrinsic differences detected. Men exhibited higher epigenetic aging rates than women across blood, saliva, and brain tissue. Epigenetic aging was associated with CHD risk factors to a lesser extent, but not with incident CHD outcomes.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that DNA methylation age acceleration differs across biological sex and racial/ethnic groups, providing a potential biological basis for observed epidemiological disparities in mortality.
Limits
The abstract reports no exact sample sizes, numerical estimates, confidence intervals, or follow-up durations for CHD incidence. Residual confounding and unmeasured environmental or socioeconomic factors across ancestral groups cannot be ruled out.
Cited by
- supports On average, females exhibit lower epigenetic age than chronological age-matched males.