Lifestyle factors and DNA methylation-based aging clocks: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations in the Singapore diet and healthy aging cohort.

Smoking history showed robust positive associations with accelerated epigenetic aging on both DNAm clocks in cross-sectional analyses.

• GrimAge AgeDev association: β = 1.45, 95% CI 1.13–1.77, p < 0.0001
• DunedinPACE association: β = 0.63, 95% CI 0.22–1.05, p = 0.003
• Analysis included 631 participants (median age 70.0 years; 72.6% female) from the Singapore Diet and Healthy Aging (DaHA) cohort
• Models were adjusted for sociodemographic covariates, health status, and immune cell-type proportions

Weekly physical activity was associated with slower epigenetic aging as measured by GrimAge acceleration.

• GrimAge AgeDev association: β = -0.22, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.04, p = 0.02
• Association was assessed in the cross-sectional sample of 631 participants
• Lifestyle exposures were assessed using validated self-administered questionnaires
• No significant association with DunedinPACE was reported for physical activity

Daily engagement in cognitively stimulating activities was associated with slower epigenetic aging as measured by GrimAge acceleration.

• GrimAge AgeDev association: β = -0.16, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.01, p = 0.04
• Association was detected in cross-sectional analyses of 631 older adults
• No significant association with DunedinPACE was reported for cognitive engagement

Weekly feelings of stress were initially associated with greater GrimAge AgeDev, but this relationship was attenuated after full adjustment.

• The stress-aging association did not survive full multivariable adjustment including sociodemographic covariates, health status, and immune cell-type proportions
• The attenuation suggests potential confounding by other covariates in the model
• This finding was from the cross-sectional analysis of 631 participants

No significant longitudinal associations between lifestyle factors and DNAm aging clocks were detected.

• Longitudinal analysis included 114 participants with a mean follow-up of 3.96 years
• Peripheral blood DNAm profiles were generated using the Illumina MethylationEPIC array
• The absence of significant findings may reflect limited statistical power and the stability of long-standing lifestyle behaviors over the follow-up period
• The authors note the need for larger prospective studies with longer follow-up to confirm these relationships

The study examined 15 modifiable lifestyle factors in relation to two DNAm clocks in older Asian adults.

• The two clocks examined were GrimAge acceleration (AgeDev) and DunedinPACE
• The cohort consisted of 631 participants with median age 70.0 years and 72.6% female in the cross-sectional analysis
• The study population was drawn from the Singapore Diet and Healthy Aging (DaHA) cohort
• Multivariable linear regression models were applied to evaluate associations