Researchers from Chapman University and the University of California, Los Angeles, have found that men who have never been married may age faster at the biological level than married men. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging. The authors analyzed data from 762 U.S. residents and identified differences in two measures of epigenetic aging — GrimAge and DunedinPACE.
Epigenetic aging indicates how closely the body’s biological processes correspond to, or outpace, a person’s chronological age. To assess this, researchers examined changes in DNA methylation — chemical markers that influence gene activity. The study used three tools: PhenoAge and GrimAge, which assess biological age, and DunedinPACE, which measures the pace of biological aging.
The most notable difference was observed among men who had never been married. According to GrimAge and DunedinPACE, they showed signs of accelerated epigenetic aging compared with married men. The researchers did not find the same association among women. At the same time, being married was associated with a slower rate of epigenetic aging according to DunedinPACE compared with being divorced or separated.
The analysis included 382 men and 380 women from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, which focuses on the health of middle-aged and older adults. The researchers took into account participants’ age, education, body mass index, smoking status, racial and ethnic background, and other factors that could affect the results.
The authors emphasize that the study does not prove that being unmarried is solely responsible for accelerated aging. The research was cross-sectional, meaning that participants’ blood samples were assessed at a single point in time, so a causal relationship cannot be established with certainty.
The researchers suggest that social support, stress and lifestyle factors may play a role, but further studies are needed to test these explanations. According to the authors, the most unexpected finding was that the association between marital status and epigenetic aging was particularly pronounced among men who had never been married.
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