Substance use has long been a topic of interest in the fields of health and aging. Recent research has begun to explore how various forms of substance use may impact biological aging, particularly through the lens of epigenetic changes. This article reviews findings from a study that examined the relationship between substance use and epigenetic age acceleration.
Background
The study, conducted by Fekete et al., analyzed data from 2,276 adults participating in the Person-to-Person Health Interview Study in Indiana. The researchers aimed to determine whether clinically significant alcohol use, nicotine consumption, opioid use, and overall substance use disorder (SUD) severity were associated with accelerated biological aging.
Methods
Participants completed validated assessments of SUD severity and substance use, including alcohol, nicotine, and opioid use. They also provided saliva samples for DNA methylation profiling, which were used to measure biological aging through metrics such as AgeAccelGrim2 and DunedinPACE. Regression models were employed to estimate the associations between substance use indicators and biological aging while adjusting for various covariates.
Results
The findings revealed several significant associations:
- Illicit opioid use was positively associated with both AgeAccelGrim2 and DunedinPACE.
- Non-prescription opioid use also showed a positive association with both measures of biological aging.
- Clinically significant alcohol use was positively linked to AgeAccelGrim2 but not to DunedinPACE.
- Cigarette smoking was positively associated with both AgeAccelGrim2 and DunedinPACE across all levels of smoking.
- Interestingly, hookah use was negatively associated with AgeAccelGrim2, while vaping did not show a significant association when analyzed alongside cigarette smoking.
Conclusions
The study concluded that substance use, particularly cigarette smoking and opioid use, is strongly linked to accelerated biological aging. This underscores the importance of further research into the mechanisms that may connect these substances to biological aging processes.
What this study does not show
This study does not establish causation between substance use and accelerated biological aging, nor does it explore the underlying biological mechanisms involved.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: Established
- Clinical validity: Partial
- Clinical utility: Not established
The evidence is based on primary research involving human participants.