Timing of Menarche and Menopause and Epigenetic Aging among U.S. Adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002.

Reproductive aging, including timing of menarche and menopause, influences long-term morbidity and mortality in women, yet underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using DNA methylation-based biomarkers, we assessed associations of age at menarche (N=1,033) and menopause (N=658) with epigenetic aging in a nationally representative sample of women ≥50 years. Later age at menopause was associated with lower GrimAge epigenetic age deviation ( = -0.

Prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and phthalates and altered patterns of DNA methylation in childhood.

Introduction: Epigenetic marks are key biomarkers linking the prenatal environment to health and development. However, DNA methylation associations and persistence of marks for prenatal exposure to multiple Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in human populations have not been examined in great detail.

Methods: We measured Bisphenol-A (BPA), triclosan, benzophenone-3 (BP3), methyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, and butyl-paraben, as well as 11 phthalate metabolites, in two pregnancy urine samples, at approximately 13 and 26 weeks of gestation in participants of the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study (N = 309).

Maternal age is related to offspring DNA methylation: A meta-analysis of results from the PACE consortium.

Worldwide trends to delay childbearing have increased parental ages at birth. Older parental age may harm offspring health, but mechanisms remain unclear. Alterations in offspring DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns could play a role as aging has been associated with methylation changes in gametes of older individuals.

Associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and childhood epigenetic age acceleration.

Background: Phthalates, a group of pervasive endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and personal care products, have been associated with a wide range of developmental and health outcomes. However, their impact on biomarkers of aging has not been characterized. We tested associations between prenatal exposure to 11 phthalate metabolites on epigenetic aging in children at birth, 7, 9, and 14 years of age.

Comparison of DNA methylation measurements from EPIC BeadChip and SeqCap targeted bisulphite sequencing in PON1 and nine additional candidate genes.

Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) are widely implemented in epidemiology, and the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip (EPIC) DNA microarray is the most-used technology. Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based methods, which assess DNA methylation at single-base resolution, have become more affordable and technically feasible. While the content of microarray technology is fixed, NGS-based approaches, such as the Roche Nimblegen, SeqCap Epi Enrichment System (SeqCap), offer the flexibility of targeting most CpGs in a gene.

Characterizing the modern light environment and its influence on circadian rhythms.

Humans have largely supplanted natural light cycles with a variety of electric light sources and schedules misaligned with day-night cycles. Circadian disruption has been linked to a number of disease processes, but the extent of circadian disruption among the population is unknown. In this study, we measured light exposure and wrist temperature among residents of an urban area during each of the four seasons, as well as light illuminance in nearby outdoor locations.