Reduced epigenetic age in older adults who volunteer.

Nakamura JS, Kwok C, Huang A, Strecher VJ, Kim ES, Cole SW

Psychoneuroendocrinology · February 1, 2023

Background: Volunteering is associated with improved health and well-being outcomes, including a reduced risk of mortality. We evaluated associations between volunteering and age acceleration, measured by 13 DNA methylation epigenetic clocks in 4011 older adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study. Results: Volunteering was associated with reduced epigenetic age acceleration across 6 epigenetic clocks optimized for predicting health and longevity. These associations were mostly independent of demographic and health factors, but substantially attenuated after adjusting for health behaviors. Conclusion: Volunteering was associated with reduced epigenetic age acceleration in 6 of 13 (mostly second-generation) epigenetic clocks, implicating health behaviors as one potential mechanism of such effects.

PMID: 36521251 · DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.106000