ArticlePloS one2012
Age-related changes in the global DNA methylation profile of leukocytes are linked to nutrition but are not associated with the MTHFR C677T genotype or to functional capacities.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenetics and human obesity.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2015Pooled it
- Increased methylation levels of theEpigenomics · 2025Article
- Global DNA Methylation and Cognitive Impairment: A Population-Based Study from Haryana, North India.Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB · 2025Article
- Vitamin B levels in older adults with pre-frailty and frailty: the impact of MTHFR and TCN2 polymorphisms and their association with global DNA methylation and physical performance.Nutrition & metabolism · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- Differences inFrontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Physical Activity and DNA Methylation in Humans.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- One-carbon metabolism and global DNA methylation in mothers of individuals with Down syndrome.Human cell · 2021Article
- Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism, global DNA methylation and blood pressure: a population based study from North India.BMC medical genomics · 2021Article
- Article
- Whole Genome 5'-Methylcytosine Level Quantification in Cirrhotic HCV-Infected Egyptian Patients with and without Hepatocellular Carcinoma.International journal of genomics · 2020Article
- Age-related Changes in the Global DNA Methylation Profile of Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Derived from Rat Spinal Cords.Current medical science · 2019Article
- Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and psychiatric diseases.Translational psychiatry · 2018Review
- No evidence for association ofClinical epigenetics · 2018Article
- Dietary Ingestion of Calories and Micronutrients Modulates the DNA Methylation Profile of Leukocytes from Older Individuals.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2018Article
- Relationships between Global DNA Methylation in Circulating White Blood Cells and Breast Cancer Risk Factors.Journal of cancer epidemiology · 2017Review
- What's in a name? Context-dependent significance of 'global' methylation measures in human health and disease.Clinical epigenetics · 2017Article
- Interactions of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T Polymorphism with Environmental Factors on Hypertension Susceptibility.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2016Article
- Associations between whole peripheral blood fatty acids and DNA methylation in humans.Scientific reports · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Global DNA methylation of peripheral blood leukocytes has been recently proposed as a potential biomarker for disease risk. However, the amplitude of the changes in DNA methylation associated with normal aging and the impacts of environmental changes on this variation are still unclear. In this context, we evaluated the association of global DNA methylation with nutritional habits, tobacco smoking, body mass index (BMI), clinical laboratory parameters, polymorphism C677T MTHFR, functional cognition and the daily practice of physical activity in a cancer-free older population. Leukocyte global DNA methylation from 126 older individuals was quantified using a high-throughput ELISA-based method. Global DNA hypomethylation was observed in older individuals when compared to a younger population (p = 0.0469), confirming changes in DNA methylation in the aging process. Furthermore, the methylation profile of elders was correlated with the daily ingestion of carbohydrates (p = 0.0494), lipids (p = 0.0494), vitamin B6 (p = 0.0421), magnesium (p = 0.0302), and also to the serum levels of total protein (p = 0.0004), alpha 2 globulin (p = 0.0013) and albumin (p = 0.0015). No statistically significant difference was observed when global DNA methylation were stratified according to C677T MTHFR genotypes (p = 0.7200), BMI (p = 0.1170), smoking habit (p = 0.4382), physical activity in daily life (p = 0.8492), scored cognitive function (p = 0.7229) or depression state (p = 0.8301). Our data indicate that age-related variations in the global DNA methylation profile of leukocytes might be modulated by the daily intake of carbohydrates, lipids, vitamin B6, and magnesium and be associated with serum protein levels, however it is independent of C677T MTHFR genotype and not correlated with BMI, smoking habit, cognitive function or the routine physical activities.
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