Scientists talked about the impact of pandemic stress on biological aging
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has changed the way millions of people live their lives: restrictions on movement, distance learning, and reduced face-to-face communication have become sources of additional stress. The researchers found that the experiences of this period could affect not only the psychological state, but also the biological processes associated with aging. This connection was especially noticeable in adolescents. About what changes scientists have found in the DNA of the study participants and why they cannot yet be considered evidence of irreversible aging, see the Izvestia article.
Traces of the pandemic in the DNA
An international team of scientists led by specialists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich studied the data of 1,028 German residents. The study involved 359 children aged eight to 10 years, 385 adolescents aged 14 to 16 years, and 284 young adults aged 20 to 29 years. The results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The researchers compared saliva samples collected before the first lockdown in March 2020 and during the follow—up phase, from September 2021 to May 2022. Using them, scientists assessed changes in DNA methylation, chemical tags that affect gene activity. Such changes are used to calculate the epigenetic age and the rate of biological aging.
How was biological age measured
For the analysis, the scientists used four epigenetic tools: DunedinPACE, GrimAge2, Horvath and PedBE. They are called epigenetic clocks because they evaluate certain patterns of DNA methylation and compare them with age-related changes. However, different models do not measure exactly the same thing: some estimate biological age, while others estimate the rate of aging.
A comparison of the samples showed that during the pandemic, some indicators of epigenetic aging actually increased. Statistically significant changes were found in three of the four tools used — PedBE, GrimAge2 and DunedinPACE. The Horvath index did not show a significant increase.
Scientists emphasize that the epigenetic age is not equal to the number of years lived. Its increase does not mean that a person has literally aged by several years: we are talking about changes in molecular parameters, which in other studies have been associated with long-term health risks.
Teenagers were more sensitive to stress
The connection between the subjective perception of the pandemic and changes in the rate of aging in adolescents turned out to be the most interesting. The more they felt the strain associated with COVID-19, the more noticeable the increase in DunedinPACE was. No similar statistically significant relationship was found among children and young adults.
One of the factors that is especially important for teenagers is the lack of opportunities to communicate with their peers. Restrictions on meetings with friends could affect not only mood, but also biological indicators.
Alicia Shaw, the first author of the study
This suggests that adolescence may be a period particularly sensitive to the effects of stress. This may be due to changes occurring in the body during puberty, or to the fact that isolation measures, such as restrictions on meeting peers, had a particularly strong impact on this age group.
Who was the most vulnerable
Additional analysis showed that more pronounced changes in epigenetic parameters were observed in participants who were in a less favorable situation even before the pandemic. Among the risk factors, scientists identified impaired physical health, lower subjective well-being and an unfavorable socio-economic background of the family.
At the same time, objective indicators — the incidence of COVID-19 in the region of residence and the severity of restrictive measures — did not demonstrate a significant relationship with changes in epigenetic aging. Thus, in order to assess the consequences of the pandemic, it turned out to be important to take into account not only external circumstances, but also how difficult the person himself perceived what was happening.
Elizabeth Binder, Director of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry and senior author of the study
In all age groups, stress was most strongly felt by those who were already at risk before the pandemic, whether due to poorer physical health, lower subjective well-being, or lower socio-economic status.
Does this mean an increased risk of diseases
Accelerated epigenetic aging in previous studies has been associated with an increased risk of certain age-related diseases, including cancer and type 2 diabetes. However, the current work does not prove that the stress experienced during the pandemic will lead to such consequences in the children and adolescents who participated in the study.
The authors note that to assess the long-term impact of the pandemic, it is necessary to continue monitoring the participants. Scientists will have to find out whether the detected changes persist and whether they are associated with a deterioration in health in the future.
The study shows that large-scale social crises can be accompanied by measurable biological changes. But so far it cannot be argued that they are irreversible or that the pandemic itself has caused the accelerated aging of each participant. Such conclusions require additional data and longer follow-up.
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