An international team of scientists has found that accelerated biological aging is linked to a more pronounced decline in cognitive abilities, especially among individuals who grew up in low-income families. The study was published in the journal Aging.

Researchers used so-called “epigenetic clocks,” which estimate a person’s biological age based on characteristic chemical markers on DNA. If biological age is higher than chronological age, this is considered “accelerated aging.” The analysis included about 300 participants whose IQ was measured in childhood, with follow-up testing and blood sampling conducted in middle age.

The findings showed that second-generation epigenetic clocks (PhenoAge and GrimAge)—designed to account for disease and mortality risks—most accurately predicted IQ decline by age 50. This effect was observed even in identical twins raised in the same household: the sibling with the higher biological age showed a greater drop in cognitive function.

The greatest vulnerability was found among people from low-income families. According to the authors, early-life social stress amplifies the long-term effects of accelerated aging.

The researchers emphasize that the study suggests monitoring biological age through DNA markers, combined with attention to early social environments, could improve the assessment of dementia risk and other age-related disorders.

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