Max Planck Institute: epigenetic aging markers rose in 1,028 Germans during the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry led by Alicia M. Schowe compared epigenetic aging markers in 1,028 participants of the German TwinLife study before and after the pandemic lockdowns. The results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The sample included 359 children (mean age 9.5 years), 385 adolescents (15.5 years) and 284 adults (24.3 years) doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

Saliva DNA was collected before the first lockdown in Germany in March 2020 and again after the second lockdown in 2021 doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

Four clocks and the main result

Epigenetic clocks estimate biological age or the pace of aging from DNA methylation patterns. The team used four of them: Horvath DNAmAge, the Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic (PedBE) clock, GrimAge2 and DunedinPACE. The authors tested associations with objective and subjective pandemic stressors and with environmental, psychosocial and genetic factors doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

Across all three age groups, epigenetic age acceleration increased: PedBE b = 0.17, GrimAge2 b = 0.08 (p < 0.0001 for both). The pace of aging measured by DunedinPACE rose by b = 0.13 (p < 0.0001) doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗. According to the scinexx report, not all four clocks changed in every group, and in children only one clock was significant.

The change was associated with physical health, parental socioeconomic status and genetic factors, but not with objective pandemic stressors doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗.

Adolescents and the limits of the data

In adolescents, the DunedinPACE pace of aging increased with perceived pandemic burden (b = 0.04, p = 0.01). Follow-up analyses in this age group pointed to the burden of social isolation doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗. Schowe said adolescents may be particularly sensitive to stress, possibly because of pubertal changes or because restrictions on meeting peers weighed heavily on this age group.

The study is observational, with only two measurement points per person. It therefore cannot establish whether reduced activity, weight gain, isolation or other factors caused the rise, and natural developmental change remains a possible explanation. The authors write that if the changes persist, they could be associated with a higher risk of long-term health impairments doi.orgProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdoi.orgOpen source ↗.