Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40210827›Full record

ArticleGeroScience2025

Associations of epigenetic aging and COVID- 19: A 3-year longitudinal study.

Gabor Farkas, Zahira El Mahdaouy, Gergely Babszky, Matyas Jokai, Ferenc Torma, Yaodong Gu, Ricardo Pinho, Ildiko Miklossy, Juozas Gordevicius, András Benczúr and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in GeroScience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Gabor FarkasResearch Institute of Sport Science, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary.
Zahira El MahdaouyInstitute for Computer Science and Control (SZTAKI), Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), Budapest, Hungary.
Gergely BabszkyResearch Institute of Sport Science, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary.
Matyas JokaiResearch Institute of Sport Science, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary.
Ferenc TormaResearch Institute of Sport Science, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary.
Yaodong GuFaculty of Sport Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
Ricardo PinhoLaboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício em Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina e Ciências da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica Do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Ildiko MiklossyDepartment of Bioengineering, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Piata 26 Libertatii, 530104, Miercurea Ciuc, Romania.
Juozas GordeviciusEpigenetic Clock Development Foundation, Torrance, CA, USA.
András BenczúrInstitute for Computer Science and Control (SZTAKI), Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), Budapest, Hungary.
Csaba KerepesiInstitute for Computer Science and Control (SZTAKI), Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), Budapest, Hungary.
Zsolt RadakResearch Institute of Sport Science, Hungarian University of Sport Science, Budapest, Hungary. radak.zsolt@tf.hu.ORCID 0000-0003-1297-6804

Funding

European Commission RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00004National Research, Development and Innovation Office TKP2021-EGA-37Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovaciós Alap OTKA142192
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aging and COVID- 19 are known to influence DNA methylation, potentially affecting the rate of aging and the risk of disease. The physiological functions of 54 volunteers-including maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max), grip strength, and vertical jump-were assessed just before the COVID- 19 pandemic and again 3 years later. Of these volunteers, 27 had contracted COVID- 19. Eight epigenetic clocks were used to assess the rate of aging during the 3-year period: DNAmAge showed accelerated aging, and five clocks showed slowed aging (DNAmAgeSkinBlood, DNAmAgeHannum, DNAmFitAge, PhenoAge, and DNAmTL). When we considered only females, we observed a stronger effect in the increase of DNAmAge acceleration, while we observed slowed aging in the case of SkinBloodClock, and DNAmTL. The methylation of the promoter region of the H1 FNT genes, which encodes testis-specific histone H1 family member N (H1fnt) and plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis decreased the most significantly. In contrast, the promoter of CSTL1, which encodes Cystatin-like 1, showed the most significant increase. We found that having COVID- 19 during the 3-year study period significantly increased the progress of aging assessed by DNAmGrimAge, DNAmGrimAge2, and DNAmFitAge (p = 0.024, 0.047, 0.032, respectively, after we adjusted the analysis for baseline variables). The data suggest that COVID- 19 may have a mild long-term effect on epigenetic aging.

Indexed as

AgingCOVID-19Epigenesis, GeneticAdultAgedDNA MethylationFemaleHand StrengthHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2COVID- 19Epigenetic agingEpigenetic clocksH1 FNTLongitudinal aging

Identifiers

PMID40210827
PMCPMC12181606

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.