ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2015
The epigenetic clock is correlated with physical and cognitive fitness in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 364 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
364 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Entorhinal cortex epigenome-wide association study highlights four novel loci showing differential methylation in Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Biological aging in childhood and adolescence following experiences of threat and deprivation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychological bulletin · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic Review of Pulmonary Function and Cognition in Aging.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Nucleotides as an Anti-Aging Supplementation in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial (TALENTs study).Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Trial
- Exercise and epigenetic ages in older adults with myeloid malignancies.European journal of medical research · 2023Trial
- Pilot Study of Second-Generation DNA Methylation Epigenetic Markers in Relation to Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Older Adults.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2023Trial
- Epigenetic Age Acceleration Reflects Long-Term Cardiovascular Health.Circulation research · 2021Trial
- DNA methylation signatures in skeletal muscle associated with physical function in healthy older adults.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Extracellular vesicles and epigenetic aging clocks in tissue aging: an exosome-focused conceptual framework with a focus on skin.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Review
- Epigenetic aging in Alzheimer's disease: Relation to proteome.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Associations of epigenetic age acceleration with motor impairment: Evidence from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative cohort.Neurobiology of aging · 2026Article
- Biological age-acceleration in relation to muscle mass, strength and function: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Article
- Epigenetic Aging and Cognitive Performance in General and Psychiatric Populations: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Review
- Reframing Telomere Biology in Exercise Science: From Descriptive Metrics to Redox-Metabolic Mechanisms for Precision Healthy Aging (2000-2025).Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Exercise training to preserve vitality capacity in ageing.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Geroprotective applications of oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol through the hallmarks of ageing.GeroScience · 2026Review
- Tracking DNA methylation-based biological age over 8 years and its association with mortality in community-dwelling older adults.Clinical epigenetics · 2026Article
- Unraveling the complexity of skin's biological aging utilizing epigenetic clocks.Clinical epigenetics · 2026Article
304 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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18 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' correlates strongly with chronological age, but it is currently unclear what drives individual differences. We examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the epigenetic clock and four mortality-linked markers of physical and mental fitness: lung function, walking speed, grip strength and cognitive ability.
methodsDNA methylation-based age acceleration (residuals of the epigenetic clock estimate regressed on chronological age) were estimated in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 at ages 70 (n = 920), 73 (n = 299) and 76 (n = 273) years. General cognitive ability, walking speed, lung function and grip strength were measured concurrently. Cross-sectional correlations between age acceleration and the fitness variables were calculated. Longitudinal change in the epigenetic clock estimates and the fitness variables were assessed via linear mixed models and latent growth curves. Epigenetic age acceleration at age 70 was used as a predictor of longitudinal change in fitness. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) were conducted on the four fitness measures.
resultsCross-sectional correlations were significant between greater age acceleration and poorer performance on the lung function, cognition and grip strength measures (r range: -0.07 to -0.05, P range: 9.7 x 10(-3) to 0.024). All of the fitness variables declined over time but age acceleration did not correlate with subsequent change over 6 years. There were no EWAS hits for the fitness traits.
conclusionsMarkers of physical and mental fitness are associated with the epigenetic clock (lower abilities associated with age acceleration). However, age acceleration does not associate with decline in these measures, at least over a relatively short follow-up.
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