Grandparents' educational attainment is associated with grandchildren's epigenetic-based age acceleration in the National Growth and Health Study

Agus Surachman; Elissa Hamlat; Anthony S Zannas; Steve Horvath; Barbara Laraia; Elissa Epel

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117142

Grandparents' educational attainment is associated with grandchildren's epigenetic-based age acceleration in the National Growth and Health Study

Soc Sci Med. 2024 Aug:355:117142. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117142. Epub 2024 Jul 14.

Authors

Agus Surachman¹, Elissa Hamlat², Anthony S Zannas³, Steve Horvath⁴, Barbara Laraia⁵, Elissa Epel⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, USA; College of Nursing and Health Profession, Drexel University, USA. Electronic address: as5796@drexel.edu.
² Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
⁴ Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, USA; The Altos Institutes of Science, San Diego, USA.
⁵ School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
⁶ Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA. Electronic address: elissa.epel@ucsf.edu.

PMID: 39106784
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117142

Abstract

We examined three generations (grandparents, mothers, and grandchildren) to assess the association between grandparents' educational attainment and their grandchildren'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 child (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 = 0.021). 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.

Keywords: Epigenetic age; Intergenerational transmission; Life course framework; Socioeconomic dis/advantage.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aging
Child
Child, Preschool
Educational Status*
Female
Grandparents* / psychology
Humans
Male
Mothers / psychology
Mothers / statistics & numerical data

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding