In sum: Low SES & marginalized race/ethnicity are linked to faster biological aging. 3. gen clocks (and GrimAge) show strongest effects. Next step? Move from correlation to causation—intervention studies can help show how inequality gets under the skin ⏰🧬

⏰🧬 Similar to SES, racial/ethnic disparities were most pronounced with 3. gen clocks, followed by 2. gen. Once again, DunedinPoAm, DunedinPACE, and GrimAge showed the strongest social gradients in epigenetic aging.

🧬✅ We found no evidence of publication bias, which builds confidence in the meta-analytic effect-size estimates we report. A reassuring sign for the strength and reliability of this growing field.

👶🧬 SES associations with 3. gen clocks were just as strong in childhood as in adulthood —highlighting the early sensitivity of “epigenetic speedometers” (pace of aging).

⏰🧬 For SES, we found the weakest associations with 1. gen clocks (age predictors), stronger with 2. gen (health risk), and strongest with 3. gen (pace of aging). DunedinPoAm, DunedinPACE, and GrimAge showed the strongest links.

⏰🧬We conducted a pre-registered multi-level meta-analysis of 140 studies examining how SES and racial/ethnic identity relate to epigenetic-clock-measured aging. We compared 3 generations of clocks and tested whether associations varied by sex, age, array type, tissue, or cell composition 👇

(w/ Ada Rezaki, Anya Bahl, Muna Aikins, Qiao Wu, @danbelsky.bsky.social @laraffington.bsky.social )

Social determinants of health and epigenetic clocks: Meta-analysis of 140 studies Social determinants of health are social factors that affect health and survival. Two of the most powerful social determinants are socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity; people with lower SES ...

🏡🧬 Our new meta-analysis of 140 studies including ~66,000 people finds that lower socioeconomic status and marginalized race/ethnicity is associated with faster epigenetic biological aging. Find out which epigenetic clocks show the strongest effects 👇
tinyurl.com/metaclocks

Previously presented by Yayouk Willems and @laraffington.bsky.social at a #GENEAmsterdam symposium and out now:

"Linked emergence of racial disparities in mental health and epigenetic biological aging across childhood and adolescence" by @munaaikins.bsky.social

Summary: lnkd.in/eyT9jrrQ

Linked emergence of racial disparities in mental health and epigenetic biological aging across childhood and adolescence - Molecular Psychiatry Molecular Psychiatry - Linked emergence of racial disparities in mental health and epigenetic biological aging across childhood and adolescence

New #MPRGBiosocial paper in Molecular Psychiatry:
“Linked emergence of racial disparities in mental health & epigenetic biological aging across childhood & adolescence”

w/ @yayoukwillems @denizfraemke.bsky.social @laraffington.bsky.social
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Blog Post: lnkd.in/dKsgagYc