TY - JOUR
T1 - Accelerated DNA Methylation Aging in U.S. Military Veterans
T2 - Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
AU - Tamman, Amanda J.F.
AU - Montalvo-Ortiz, Janitza L.
AU - Southwick, Steven M.
AU - Krystal, John H.
AU - Levy, Becca R.
AU - Pietrzak, Robert H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - Objective: The aim of this study was to identify how a broad range of sociodemographic, military, health, and psychosocial factors relate to accelerated DNA methylation aging (Δ age ) in a large, contemporary, nationally representative sample of male U.S. veterans. Methods: Data were analyzed from a sample of U.S. male European-American veterans who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (N = 1,135). Results: Psychosocial factors of lifetime trauma burden, child sexual trauma, and negative beliefs about aging were independently associated with Δ age . Three health variables—diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index—emerged as additional correlates of Δ age . Conclusion: Results of the study build on prior work demonstrating associations between accelerated DNA methylation aging and traumatic stress, highlighting a role for child sexual abuse in particular. They further underscore the importance of targeting negative beliefs about aging, which are modifiable, in prevention efforts designed to forestall accelerated DNA methylation aging.
AB - Objective: The aim of this study was to identify how a broad range of sociodemographic, military, health, and psychosocial factors relate to accelerated DNA methylation aging (Δ age ) in a large, contemporary, nationally representative sample of male U.S. veterans. Methods: Data were analyzed from a sample of U.S. male European-American veterans who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (N = 1,135). Results: Psychosocial factors of lifetime trauma burden, child sexual trauma, and negative beliefs about aging were independently associated with Δ age . Three health variables—diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index—emerged as additional correlates of Δ age . Conclusion: Results of the study build on prior work demonstrating associations between accelerated DNA methylation aging and traumatic stress, highlighting a role for child sexual abuse in particular. They further underscore the importance of targeting negative beliefs about aging, which are modifiable, in prevention efforts designed to forestall accelerated DNA methylation aging.
KW - DNA methylation aging
KW - body mass index
KW - child abuse
KW - diabetes
KW - hypertension
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061625169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.001
DO - 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 30792041
AN - SCOPUS:85061625169
SN - 1064-7481
VL - 27
SP - 528
EP - 532
JO - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
IS - 5
ER -