Objectives: To examine the association of social connections with blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and all-cause mortality in older Costa Ricans.
Methods: Utilizing data from the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES), a prospective cohort of 2827 individuals aged 60 and above followed since 2004, we constructed a Social Network Index (SNI) based on marital status, household size, interaction with non-cohabitating adult children, and church attendance. We used linear regression to assess SNI's association with baseline LTL ( = 1113), and Cox proportional-hazard models to examine SNI's relationship with all-cause mortality ( = 2735).
Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Costa Rica is experiencing a fast demographic aging. Healthy diets may help to ameliorate the burden of aging-related conditions.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association of a traditional dietary pattern and 2 of its major components (beans and rice) with all-cause mortality among elderly Costa Ricans.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 200 common genetic variants independently associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the causal variants and target genes are mostly unknown. We sought to fine-map all known CRC risk loci using GWAS data from 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of East Asian and European ancestry. Our stepwise conditional analyses revealed 238 independent association signals of CRC risk, each with a set of credible causal variants (CCVs), of which 28 signals had a single CCV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to genes involved in neurological, thyroidal, bone metabolism, and hematopoietic pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Racial Ethn Health Disparities
February 2024
Background: African American women have a disproportionate burden of disease compared to US non-Hispanic white women. Exposure to psychosocial stressors may contribute to these health disparities. Racial discrimination, a major stressor for African American women, could affect health through epigenetic mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
March 2024
Costa Rica, a middle-income country in Central America, has a life expectancy similar or even higher than richer countries. This survival advantage is more evident among the elderly, who have one of the lowest mortality rates in the world. Dietary factors may play a role in this extended longevity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA methylation (DNAm) is a plausible mechanism underlying cardiometabolic abnormalities, but evidence is limited among youth. This analysis included 410 offspring of the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort followed up to two time points in late childhood/adolescence. At Time 1, DNAm was quantified in blood leukocytes at long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1), , and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (), and at Time 2 in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha ().
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
March 2023
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 100,204 CRC cases and 154,587 controls of European and east Asian ancestry, identifying 205 independent risk associations, of which 50 were unreported. We performed integrative genomic, transcriptomic and methylomic analyses across large bowel mucosa and other tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is limited evidence for the effects of diet on cardiometabolic profiles during the pubertal transition. We collected repeated measures of diet quality and cardiometabolic risk factors among Mexican youth. This analysis included 574 offspring of the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort followed up to three time points.
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