Key points:
- Researchers applied an algorithm—DunedinPACE epigenetic clock—to genomic data collected by the Framingham Heart Study to determine the association between educational mobility and aging.
- Two years of additional schooling translated to a 2 to 3 percent slower pace of aging, and this slower pace corresponded to a nearly 10 percent reduction in risk of mortality.
- Epigenetic clocks can enhance experimental studies by providing an outcome that can reflect impacts of education on healthy-aging well before the onset of disease and disability.
A new study, published in JAMA Network Open, highlights that upward educational mobility is significantly associated with a slower pace of aging and lower risk of death. This analysis of data collected from the Framingham Heart Study is the first to connect educational mobility with pace of biological aging and mortality.
Researchers applied an algorithm—DunedinPACE epigenetic clock—to genomic data collected by the Framingham Heart Study. DunedinPACE uses analysis of chemical tags on the DNA contained in white blood cells to measure how fast or slow a person’s body is changing as they grow older. Examining these DNA methylation marks revealed that two years of additional schooling translated to a 2 to 3 percent slower pace of aging. Importantly, slowing of the pace of aging corresponds to a nearly 10 percent reduction in risk of mortality.
The research team used Framingham Heart Study data spanning three generations to link children’s educational attainment data with that of their parents. They then analyzed data from a subset of these participants who had provided blood samples using the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock.
Linking education and the pace of aging data with longitudinal records of how long participants lived allowed the team to determine that a slower pace of aging accounted for increased longevity in people with more education. In fact, healthier aging trajectories among better-educated participants explained almost half of the educational gradient in mortality.
Future studies can collect experimental evidence that will confirm the current results. Combining experimental studies with their analysis strategy can improve knowledge of the link between education and longevity.
“Epigenetic clocks like DunedinPace have the potential to enhance such experimental studies by providing an outcome that can reflect impacts of education on healthy-aging well before the onset of disease and disability in later life,” explained senior author Daniel Belsky, professor at Columbia University.