%0 Journal Article %J Epigenetics %D 2022 %T The Socioeconomic Gradient in Epigenetic Ageing Clocks: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Health and Retirement Study. %A Lauren L Schmitz %A Zhao, Wei %A Scott M Ratliff %A Goodwin, Julia %A Miao, Jiacheng %A Lu, Qiongshi %A Guo, Xiuqing %A Kent D Taylor %A Ding, Jingzhong %A Liu, Yongmei %A Morgan E. Levine %A Smith, Jennifer A %K DNA methylation age %K epigenetic clock %K polygenic score %K socioeconomic status %X

Epigenetic clocks have been widely used to predict disease risk in multiple tissues or cells. Their success as a measure of biological ageing has prompted research on the connection between epigenetic pathways of ageing and the socioeconomic gradient in health and mortality. However, studies examining social correlates of epigenetic ageing have yielded inconsistent results. We conducted a comprehensive, comparative analysis of associations between various dimensions of socioeconomic status (SES) (education, income, wealth, occupation, neighbourhood environment, and childhood SES) and eight epigenetic clocks in two well-powered US ageing studies: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) (n = 1,211) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (n = 4,018). In both studies, we found robust associations between SES measures in adulthood and the GrimAge and DunedinPoAm clocks (Bonferroni-corrected -value < 0.01). In the HRS, significant associations with the Levine and Yang clocks were also evident. These associations were only partially mediated by smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity, which suggests that differences in health behaviours alone cannot explain the SES gradient in epigenetic ageing in older adults. Further analyses revealed concurrent associations between polygenic risk for accelerated intrinsic epigenetic ageing, SES, and the Levine clock, indicating that genetic risk and social disadvantage may contribute additively to faster biological aging.

%B Epigenetics %V 17 %P 589-611 %G eng %N 6 %R 10.1080/15592294.2021.1939479 %0 Journal Article %J Scientific Reports %D 2021 %T The impact of late-career job loss and genetic risk on body mass index: Evidence from variance polygenic scores. %A Lauren L Schmitz %A Goodwin, Julia %A Miao, Jiacheng %A Lu, Qiongshi %A Dalton C Conley %K Body Mass Index %K Job loss %K polygenic score %X

Unemployment shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic have reignited concerns over the long-term effects of job loss on population health. Past research has highlighted the corrosive effects of unemployment on health and health behaviors. This study examines whether the effects of job loss on changes in body mass index (BMI) are moderated by genetic predisposition using data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). To improve detection of gene-by-environment (G × E) interplay, we interacted layoffs from business closures-a plausibly exogenous environmental exposure-with whole-genome polygenic scores (PGSs) that capture genetic contributions to both the population mean (mPGS) and variance (vPGS) of BMI. Results show evidence of genetic moderation using a vPGS (as opposed to an mPGS) and indicate genome-wide summary measures of phenotypic plasticity may further our understanding of how environmental stimuli modify the distribution of complex traits in a population.

%B Scientific Reports %V 11 %P 7647 %G eng %N 1 %R 10.1038/s41598-021-86716-y