Causality-Informed Reproductive Clocks Reflect Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Epigenetic Aging
2024
Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Biological Aging in Girls
Sample size: 540
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Ye Qiaofeng, Shalev Idan
Primary Institution: The Pennsylvania State University
Hypothesis
Childhood maltreatment affects the timing of menarche and menopause as reflected in novel epigenetic clocks.
Conclusion
The study found that childhood maltreatment is linked to earlier menarche and menopause in girls.
Supporting Evidence
- Mendelian randomization identified significant causal effects on age at menarche and menopause.
- 186 and 141 CpG sites were selected for MenarcheClock and MenopauseClock, respectively.
- Childhood maltreatment was associated with greater MenarcheClock deviation.
- African American girls had greater MenopauseClock deviation than White peers.
Takeaway
Girls who experienced bad things when they were young tend to grow up faster in certain ways, like starting their periods earlier.
Methodology
Mendelian randomization was used to identify CpG sites, and models were trained using DNA methylation data from buccal cells.
Participant Demographics
Females aged 0.2-18.94 years, with a focus on 187 girls aged 8-14 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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