Do epigenetic clocks provide explanations for sex differences in lifespan? A cross-sectional twin study

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe sex gap in life expectancy has been narrowing in Finland over the past four to five decades; however, on average, women still live longer than men. Epigenetic clocks are markers for biological aging that predict lifespan. In this study, we examined the mediating role of lifestyle factors on the association between sex and biological aging in younger and older adults.MethodsOur sample included same-sex younger and older twins (21-42-y, n = 1110; 50-76-y, n = 763) and younger opposite-sex twins (21-30-y, n = 302). Blood-based DNA methylation (DNAm) was used to compute epigenetic age acceleration by four epigenetic clocks as a measure of biological aging. Path modelling w…

Additional file 1 of Blood and skeletal muscle ageing determined by epigenetic clocks and their associations with physical activity and functioning

Additional file 1: Within-pair correlations in age acceleration in blood and in muscle. Additional file 2: Associations between DNAmAge age acceleration estimates and body composition and physical activity in blood. Additional file 3: Sensitivity analyses related to twin pair discordance in body mass index.

Do Epigenetic Clocks Provide Explanations for Sex Differences in Life Span? A Cross-Sectional Twin Study

Abstract Background The sex gap in life expectancy has been narrowing in Finland over the past 4–5 decades; however, on average, women still live longer than men. Epigenetic clocks are markers for biological aging which predict life span. In this study, we examined the mediating role of lifestyle factors on the association between sex and biological aging in younger and older adults. Methods Our sample consists of younger and older twins (21‒42 years, n = 1 477; 50‒76 years, n = 763) including 151 complete younger opposite-sex twin pairs (21‒30 years). Blood-based DNA methylation was used to compute epigenetic age acceleration by 4 epigenetic clocks as a measure of biological aging. Path mo…

Additional file 1 of Blood and skeletal muscle ageing determined by epigenetic clocks and their associations with physical activity and functioning

Additional file 1: Within-pair correlations in age acceleration in blood and in muscle. Additional file 2: Associations between DNAmAge age acceleration estimates and body composition and physical activity in blood. Additional file 3: Sensitivity analyses related to twin pair discordance in body mass index.

Nicotinamide riboside improves muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, satellite cell differentiation, and gut microbiota in a twin study

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) has emerged as a promising compound to improve obesity-associated mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic syndrome in mice. However, most short-term clinical trials conducted so far have not reported positive outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether long-term NR supplementation boosts mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolic health in humans. Twenty body mass index (BMI)–discordant monozygotic twin pairs were supplemented with an escalating dose of NR (250 to 1000 mg/day) for 5 months. NR improved systemic NAD + metabolism, muscle mitochondrial number, myoblast differentiation, and gut microbiota compos…

The role of adolescent lifestyle habits in biological aging: A prospective twin study

Adolescence is a stage of fast growth and development. Exposures during puberty can have long-term effects on health in later life. This study aims to investigate the role of adolescent lifestyle in biological aging.The study participants originated from the longitudinal FinnTwin12 study (n = 5114). Adolescent lifestyle-related factors, including body mass index (BMI), leisure-time physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use, were based on self-reports and measured at ages 12, 14, and 17 years. For a subsample, blood-based DNA methylation (DNAm) was used to assess biological aging with six epigenetic aging measures in young adulthood (21-25 years, n = 824). A latent class analysis was condu…

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Methylation status of VTRNA2-1/nc886 is stable across populations, monozygotic twin pairs and in majority of tissues.

Aims & methods: The aim of this study was to characterize the methylation level of a polymorphically imprinted gene, VTRNA2-1/nc886, in human populations and somatic tissues.48 datasets, consisting of more than 30 tissues and >30,000 individuals, were used. Results: nc886 methylation status is associated with twin status and ethnic background, but the variation between populations is limited. Monozygotic twin pairs present concordant methylation, whereas similar to 30% of dizygotic twin pairs present discordant methylation in the nc886 locus. The methylation levels of nc886 are uniform across somatic tissues, except in cerebellum and skeletal muscle. Conclusion: The nc886 imprint may be est…

Blood and skeletal muscle ageing determined by epigenetic clocks and their associations with physical activity and functioning

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the correspondence of different biological ageing estimates (i.e. epigenetic age) in blood and muscle tissue and their associations with physical activity (PA), physical function and body composition. Two independent cohorts (N = 139 and N = 47) were included, whose age span covered adulthood (23–69 years). Whole blood and m. vastus lateralis samples were collected, and DNA methylation was analysed. Four different DNA methylation age (DNAmAge) estimates were calculated using genome-wide methylation data and publicly available online tools. A novel muscle-specific methylation age was estimated using the R-package ‘MEAT’. PA was measured with q…

Methylation status of VTRNA2-1/nc886 is stable across populations, monozygotic twin pairs and in majority of tissues. Supplementary data

Supplementary Table 1. This study used 48 DNA methylation datasets, including DILGOM, FTC, ERMA, KORA, LURIC, NELLI, SATSA and YFS as well as 39 datasets available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) [29] consisting of >30 tissues and >30,000 individuals. Supplementary Table 2. Differences in the proportion of individuals with imprinted nc886 locus between sexes or in a case–control setting. Supplementary Table 3. Of these discordant pairs, one co-twin was always intermediately methylated, whereas the other co-twin was either imprinted or nonmethylated in all cases – that is, no twin pairs were identified in which one co-twin was imprinted and the other was nonmethylated. Supplementa…