Epigenetic Age Acceleration in the Emerging Burden of Cardiometabolic Diseases Among Migrant and Non-migrant African Populations: the Population Based Cross-sectional RODAM Study

Overview

Journal Lancet Healthy Longev

Specialties Geriatrics
Public Health

Date 2022 Feb 11

PMID 35146471

Authors

Felix P Chilunga

Peter Henneman

Hannah R Elliott

H Toinet Cronje

Gagandeep K Walia

Karlijn A C Meeks

Ana Requena-Mendez

Andrea Venema

Silver Bahendeka

Ina Danquah

Adebowale Adeyemo

Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch

Marlien Pieters

Marcels M A M Mannens

Charles Agyemang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: African populations are experiencing health transitions due to rapid urbanization and international migration. However, the role of biological aging in this emerging burden of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) among migrant and non-migrant Africans is unknown. We aimed to examine differences in epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) as measured by four clocks (Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge and GrimAge) and their associations with cardiometabolic factors among migrant Ghanaians in Europe and non-migrant Ghanaians.

Methods: Genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) data of 712 Ghanaians from cross-sectional RODAM study were used to quantify EAA. We assessed correlation of DNAmAge measures with chronological age, and then performed linear regressions to determine associations of body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood pressure, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, and one-carbon metabolism nutrients with EAA among migrant and non-migrants. We replicated our findings among 172 rural-urban sibling pairs from India migration study and among 120 native South Africans from PURE-SA-NW study.

Findings: We found that Ghanaian migrants have lower EAA than non-migrants. Within migrants, higher FBG was positively associated with EAA measures. Within non-migrants, higher BMI, and Vitamin B9 (folate) intake were negatively associated with EAA measures. Our findings on FBG, BMI and folate were replicated in the independent cohorts.

Interpretation: Our study shows that migration is negatively associated with EAA among Ghanaians. Moreover, cardiometabolic factors are differentially associated with EAA within migrant and non-migrant subgroups. Our results call for context-based interventions for CMD among transitioning populations that account for effects of biological aging.

Funding: European Commission.

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