Recent research has explored the connections between substance use and biological aging, particularly through the lens of epigenetic age acceleration. This study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, examines how various forms of substance use, including alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, correlate with accelerated biological aging.
Background
Prior studies have not thoroughly investigated whether clinically significant measures of substance use disorders (SUD) are linked to biological aging in a population-based context. This research aims to fill that gap by analyzing data from a large sample of adults.
Methods
The study analyzed data from 2,276 adults who participated in the Person-to-Person Health Interview Study in Indiana. Participants underwent validated assessments for SUD severity, alcohol use, and opioid use, and provided saliva samples for DNA methylation profiling. The biological aging measures used were AgeAccelGrim2 and DunedinPACE. Regression models were employed to estimate associations between substance use indicators and biological aging, adjusting for various covariates.
Results
The findings revealed that:
- Binary measures of illicit opioid use showed a strong positive association with both AgeAccelGrim2 and DunedinPACE.
- Non-prescription opioid use also correlated positively with biological aging measures.
- Clinically significant alcohol use was positively associated with AgeAccelGrim2 but not with DunedinPACE.
- Cigarette smoking was linked to accelerated biological aging at all levels of use, while hookah use showed a negative association with AgeAccelGrim2.
- Interestingly, vaping did not show any significant association with biological aging when analyzed alongside cigarette smoking.
Conclusions
The study concludes that substance use, particularly cigarette smoking and opioid use, is strongly linked to accelerated biological aging. These findings highlight the importance of further research to understand the mechanisms that connect substance use to biological aging.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish causation between substance use and biological aging, nor does it explore the underlying biological mechanisms involved.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: partial
- Clinical utility: not established