Publications by authors named "Daniel Belsky"
Background/objective: In a subset of participants from the CALERIE Phase 2 study we evaluated the effects of 2y of ~25% Calorie Restriction (CR) diet on IgG N-glycosylation (GlycAge), plasma and complement C3 N-glycome as markers of aging and inflammaging.
Methods: Plasma samples from 26 participants in the CR group who completed the CALERIE2 trial and were deemed adherent to the intervention (~>10 % CR at 12 mo) were obtained from the NIA AgingResearchBiobank. Glycomic investigations using UPLC or LC-MS analyses were conducted on samples from baseline (BL), mid-intervention (12 mo) and post-intervention (24 mo), and changes resulting from the 2y CR intervention were examined.
Article Synopsis
- - A survey of aging researchers revealed significant disagreement on key questions about aging, such as its definition, causes, onset, and rejuvenation, indicating a lack of consensus in the field.
- - Researchers have varying interpretations of what constitutes "aging," leading to different experimental approaches and priorities, which complicates the understanding and study of the aging process.
- - The findings highlight the necessity for clearer definitions and targeted goals within aging research, as well as strategies to address ongoing disagreements, in hopes of advancing the field.
Background: The association between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake and markers of biological ageing has been scarcely investigated, despite the evident adverse health effects associated with UPF. This study aimed to test the association between UPF intake and biological ageing, and evaluate how much of this association is accounted for by overall diet quality.
Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 16 055 participants aged 20-79 years (51% women, 46 ± 0.
Article Synopsis
- - The geroscience hypothesis suggests that biological aging contributes significantly to cognitive decline.
- - Analyzed data from the Framingham Heart Study linked faster aging (measured by the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock) to poorer cognitive performance and quicker decline over two decades.
- - Findings indicate that biological aging metrics can help identify individuals at risk for cognitive decline, which may enhance risk assessment in clinical settings and future trials.
Article Synopsis
- There is a shared relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, tied to common risk factors and biological pathways, which the study aims to explore across three diverse ethnic cohorts.
- The researchers employed a two-stage methodology involving epigenome-wide association studies and targeted analysis of differentially methylated positions (DMPs), unveiling significant epigenetic markers for CVD and cancer.
- The findings indicate interconnected biological pathways for CVD and cancer, suggesting potential for precision prevention strategies, including screening based on epigenetic signatures to identify at-risk patients in early diagnosis stages.
Article Synopsis
- Natural-experiment designs show that in-utero famine can lead to obesity, but birth rates drop during famines, raising concerns about possible selection bias in these studies.
- The researchers studied the Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study, comparing genetically analyzed participants exposed to the 1944-1945 Dutch Famine to unexposed same-sex siblings as controls.
- Their findings indicated that while higher genetic risk was linked to higher BMI, the difference between famine-exposed and control participants' BMI was negligible, suggesting no significant selection bias and supporting the credibility of their research method.
Article Synopsis
- Biomarkers of aging (BOA) are special measurements that can help scientists understand how old someone is on a biological level and how this changes with treatments.
- Recently, many new BOA have been discovered that could really help people live healthier lives as they age, but there are some problems getting these ideas into actual medical practice.
- Experts found six main challenges that are stopping BOA from being used more widely and suggested ways to make them better, such as ensuring they are easy to access and useful for everyone.
Background: Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) have increased in prevalence.
Objective: This article describes the Add Health Parent Study (AHPS) Phase 2, a study of social, behavioral, and biological factors influencing healthy aging and risk for AD/ADRD, in a national sample of adults aged 58-90.
Methods: Sample members are parents of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) cohort, initially interviewed in Add Health in midlife (1994-95).
Associations of biological aging with the development and mortality of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) remain unclear. Here we conducted a multistate analysis in 341,159 adults of the UK Biobank. CMM was defined as the coexistence of two or three cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), including type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiscrimination is a social determinant of health and health disparities for which the biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the hypothesis that discrimination contributes to poor health outcomes by accelerating biological processes of aging. We analyzed survey and blood DNA methylation data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 1967).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * The study analyzed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, focusing on 1,018 mother-child pairs to explore maternal ACEs and their impact on epigenetic aging during pregnancy and at birth.
- * Findings indicated a significant association between maternal ACEs and changes in epigenetic age in both mothers and their newborns, highlighting the biological imprint of early life experiences.
Background: Exposure to famine in the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. We employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic profiling to identify the metabolic changes that are associated with survival of prenatal famine exposure during the Dutch Famine at the end of World War II and subsequently assess their link to disease.
Methods: NMR metabolomics data were generated from serum in 480 individuals prenatally exposed to famine (mean 58.
Importance: The link between familial loss of a loved one and long-term health decline is complex and not fully understood.
Objective: To test associations of losing a parent, sibling, child, or partner or spouse with accelerated biological aging.
Design, Setting, And Participants: Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a US population-based longitudinal cohort study, were analyzed.
Childhood Maltreatment and Biological Aging in Middle Adulthood: The Role of Psychiatric Symptoms.
Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci
September 2024
Background: Childhood maltreatment and psychiatric morbidity have each been associated with accelerated biological aging primarily through cross-sectional studies. Using data from a prospective longitudinal study of individuals with histories of childhood maltreatment and control participants followed into midlife, we tested 2 hypotheses examining whether 1) psychiatric symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biological aging and 2) psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) act in conjunction with childhood maltreatment to exacerbate the association of child maltreatment to aging.
Methods: Children (ages 0-11 years) with documented histories of maltreatment and demographically matched control children were followed into adulthood ( = 607) and interviewed over several waves of the study.
Article Synopsis
- The Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip microarray platform has two versions (v1.0 and v2.0), which show high correlation overall but varying results at the probe level for tools assessing DNA methylation effects.
- Research using blood samples from different adult age groups found that samples clustered more by the EPIC version used than by other characteristics, indicating significant differences in data outputs between the two versions.
- The study emphasizes the need to consider which EPIC version is used when analyzing data for meta-analyses and longitudinal studies, as these differences can impact findings in epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS).
Accelerated biological aging six decades after prenatal famine exposure.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
June 2024
To test the hypothesis that early-life adversity accelerates the pace of biological aging, we analyzed data from the Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study (DHWFS, N = 951). DHWFS is a natural-experiment birth-cohort study of survivors of in-utero exposure to famine conditions caused by the German occupation of the Western Netherlands in Winter 1944 to 1945, matched controls, and their siblings. We conducted DNA methylation analysis of blood samples collected when the survivors were aged 58 to quantify biological aging using the DunedinPACE, GrimAge, and PhenoAge epigenetic clocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Older adults racialized as Black experience higher rates of dementia than those racialized as White. Structural racism produces socioeconomic challenges, described by artist Marvin Gaye as "hang ups, let downs, bad breaks, setbacks" that likely contribute to dementia disparities. Robust dementia literature suggests socioeconomic factors may also be key resiliencies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exposure to famine in the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, including obesity and type-2 diabetes. We employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic profiling to provide a deeper insight into the metabolic changes associated with survival of prenatal famine exposure during the Dutch Famine at the end of World War II and explore their link to disease.
Methods: NMR metabolomics data were generated from serum in 480 individuals prenatally exposed to famine (mean 58.
A central prediction of evolutionary theory is that energy invested into reproduction comes at the expense of somatic maintenance and repair, accelerating biological aging. Supporting this prediction are findings that high fertility among women predicts shorter lifespan and poorer health later in life. However, biological aging is thought to begin before age-related health declines, limiting the applicability of morbidity and mortality for studying the aging process earlier in life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurvivors of childhood cancer may experience accelerated biological aging, resulting in premature frailty and death. We used seven measures of biological age in the St. Jude Lifetime (SJLIFE) Cohort to compare biological age acceleration between the SJLIFE Cohort and the third United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey controls, explore trajectories of biological age according to cancer treatment and type, and test associations of biological age acceleration with frailty and death (mean follow-up of 26.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPoverty and birth cohort effects of experiencing the 2007-2009 Great Recession during adolescence on major depressive episodes and mental health treatment of young adults in the United States.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- A study looked at how going through the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009 affects young people's mental health later on, especially those who were teenagers at the time.
- Researchers found that teens who experienced the recession were more likely to suffer from major depression as young adults, especially if they came from wealthier families.
- The study shows that growing up during tough economic times can lead to mental health issues, but it's unclear if money problems alone are the reason.
Caloric restriction (CR) modifies lifespan and aging biology in animal models. The Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE™) 2 trial tested translation of these findings to humans. CALERIE™ randomized healthy, nonobese men and premenopausal women (age 21-50y; BMI 22.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn intriguing effect of short-term caloric restriction (CR) is the expansion of certain stem cell populations, including muscle stem cells (satellite cells), which facilitate an accelerated regenerative program after injury. Here, we utilized the MetRS (MetRS) transgenic mouse to identify liver-secreted plasminogen as a candidate for regulating satellite cell expansion during short-term CR. Knockdown of circulating plasminogen prevents satellite cell expansion during short-term CR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- People with higher education levels tend to live longer and experience better health, potentially due to slower biological aging.
- The study aimed to investigate if upward educational mobility is linked to slower biological aging and improved longevity using data from three generations of the Framingham Heart Study.
- The analysis included 3101 participants, measuring biological aging through DNA-methylation data, and aimed to identify the relationship between educational outcomes and aging rates.