Archives

Publications — No Comments
13
Jul 22

Obesity and accelerated epigenetic aging in a high-risk cohort of children

New insights into mechanisms linking obesity to poor health outcomes suggest a role for cellular aging pathways, casting obesity as a disease of accelerated biological aging. Although obesity has been linked to accelerated epigenetic aging in middle-aged adults, the impact during childhood remains unclear. We tested the association between body mass index (BMI) and accelerated epigenetic aging in a cohort of high-risk children. Participants were children (N = 273, aged 8 to 14 years, 82% investigated for maltreatment) recruited to the Child Health Study, an ongoing prospective study of youth investigated for maltreatment and a comparison youth. BMI was measured as a continuous variable. Accelerated epigenetic aging of blood leukocytes was defined as the age-adjusted residuals of several established epigenetic aging clocks (Horvath, Hannum, GrimAge, PhenoAge) along with a newer algorithm, the DunedinPoAm, developed to quantify the pace-of-aging. Hypotheses were tested with generalized linear models. Higher age-and sex- adjusted z-scored BMI was significantly correlated with household income, blood cell counts, and three of the accelerated epigenetic aging measures: GrimAge (r = 0.31, P < .0001), PhenoAge (r = 0.24, P < .0001), and DunedinPoAm (r = 0.38, P < .0001). In fully adjusted models, GrimAge (β = 0.07; P = .0009) and DunedinPoAm (β = 0.0017; P < .0001) remained significantly associated with higher age- and sex-adjusted z-scored BMI. Maltreatment-status was not associated with accelerated epigenetic aging. In a high-risk cohort of children, higher BMI predicted epigenetic aging as assessed by two epigenetic aging clocks. These results suggest the association between obesity and accelerated epigenetic aging begins in early life, with implications for future morbidity and mortality risk.

CITATION: Etzel, L., Hastings, W. J., Hall, M. A., Heim, C. M., Meaney, M., Noll, J. G., Rose, E. J., Schreier, H. M. C., Shenk, C., & Shalev, I., (in press). Obesity and accelerated epigenetic aging in a high-risk cohort of children.

Publications — No Comments
13
Jul 22

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis attenuation and obesity risk in sexually abused females

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) confers elevated risks for obesity in females. Mechanisms that explain this link remain unclear. This study tracked serum basal cortisol levels with body mass index (BMI) from childhood into adulthood to test whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis attenuation accounts for elevated obesity risks for sexually abused females.

Methods: Data drew from six timepoints of a longitudinal study of the impact of CSA on development. Participants were females aged 6-16 years at time of study enrollment with substantiated CSA and demographically matched non-abused peers. Analyses included only participants who did not have obesity at study enrollment. Main outcomes were BMI growth trajectories across ages 6-27 (n = 150; 66 abused, 84 comparisons) and early adulthood obesity status (ages 20-27; n = 133; 62 abused, 71 comparison). HPA axis functioning indicators were intercept and linear slope parameters extracted from multilevel growth trajectories of serum basal cortisol levels across development. Racial-ethnic minority status, parity, steroid medication use, depression history and disordered eating history were covaried.

Results: While controlling for covariates, multilevel modeling indicated that high initial serum basal cortisol levels in childhood and attenuated cortisol growth rate over time (i.e., HPA axis attenuation) were associated with accelerated BMI accumulation (p < .01). Attenuated cortisol growth rate mediated the effect of CSA on accelerated BMI accumulation and on elevated adulthood obesity rates (p < .05).

Conclusion: This work establishes a mechanistic association between HPA axis attenuation and obesity, suggesting that trauma treatments for abuse survivors should include interventions that reduce health consequences associated with dysregulated stress physiology.

CITATION: Li, J. C., Hall, M. A., Shalev, I., Schreier, H. M. C., Zarzar, T. G., Marcovici, I., Putnam, F. W., & Noll, J. G. (2021). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis attenuation and obesity risk in sexually abused females. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 129, 105254.

Chronic Illnesses / Publications / Socioeconomic Status — No Comments
09
Sep 15

Socioeconomic status and the health of youth: A multi-level, multi-domain approach to conceptualizing pathways

Previous research has clearly established associations between low socioeconomic status (SES) and poor youth physical health outcomes. This article provides an overview of the main pathways through which low SES environments come to influence youth health. We focus on 2 prevalent chronic health problems in youth today, asthma and obesity. We review and propose a model that encompasses (a) multiple levels of influence, including the neighborhood, family and person level; (b) both social and physical domains in the environment; and finally (c) dynamic relationships between these factors. A synthesis of existing research and our proposed model draw attention to the notion of adverse physical and social exposures in youth’s neighborhood environments altering family characteristics and youth psychosocial and behavioral profiles, thereby increasing youth’s risk for health problems. We also note the importance of acknowledging reciprocal influences across levels and domains (e.g., between family and child) that create self-perpetuating patterns of influence that further accentuate the impact of these factors on youth health. Finally, we document that factors across levels can interact (e.g., environmental pollution levels with child stress) to create unique, synergistic effects on youth health. Our model stresses the importance of evaluating influences on youth’s physical health not in isolation but in the context of the broader social and physical environments in which youth live. Understanding the complex relationships between the factors that link low SES to youth’s long-term health trajectories is necessary for the creation and implementation of successful interventions and policies to ultimately reduce health disparities.

CITATION: Schreier, H. M. C. & Chen, E. (2013). Socioeconomic status and the health of youth: A multi-level, multi-domain approach to conceptualizing pathways. Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 606-654.

Skip to toolbar