JAMA Network Open: Losing loved one accelerates aging on biological level, study finds

Scientists at Columbia University in the US have discovered that the loss of loved ones accelerates the epigenetic clock based on the mechanism of DNA methylation, thereby contributing to biological aging. The results of the respective study were published in the JAMA Network Open scientific medical journal.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study, Add Health. In 1994-1995, 12 thousand 300 people invited through a survey took part in the research. In the first phase, when most of the participants were in school, the researchers collected information about the participants' health and asked them to indicate whether they had experienced the death of a loved one. In addition, blood samples were taken from volunteers for some laboratory testing.

From the beginning of this research until 2016 to 2018, the experiment was repeated four more times. During this period, about 4,000 people reported that they lost a family member, a husband, or a friend.

Between 2018 and 2024, scientists mapped epigenetic profiles and established biological age clocks using blood tests. A linear regression model was used to analyze the data to predict the relationship between the number of losses and measures of biological age, while monitoring for various variables, including ethnicity, gender, wealth, family size, education, and type of relationship between the participant and the deceased.

The results showed that among volunteers aged 33 to 44, the losses of loved ones mean older biological age, as measured by the epigenetic clock, as well as accelerated aging. At the same time, the more losses of loved ones a person has experienced, the higher this indicator is.

Violation of the normal cycle of methylation increases the risk of developing many diseases and mental disorders. Based on DNA methylation, one can also estimate the rate of biological aging, and the degree of "exhaustion" of the body.

Scientists still can't explain, however, what specifically determines the link between DNA methylation and the loss of a loved one. It is not excluded that the basis of this correlation is the effect of emotional stress.

Scientists have noted that the acceleration of biological aging is caused by DNA methylation, a chemical change of a macromolecule that has no effect on the genetic code.

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