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ArticleClinical epigenetics2025

Epigenetic age acceleration mediates the association between low-grade systemic inflammation and cardiovascular diseases: insight from the NHANES 1999-2002.

Xiaolang Chen, Jin Zhong, Yingnan Lv, Lancheng Wei, Huijiao Zhou, Yongmei Yang, Jinfan Chi, Zhen Lee, Huabei Wu, Haiying Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

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

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0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xiaolang Chen *Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Jin Zhong *Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Yingnan LvCenter for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, University Engineering Research Center of Digital Medicine and Healthcare, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Lancheng WeiDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Huijiao ZhouDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Yongmei YangDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Jinfan ChiDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Zhen LeeDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
Huabei WuSchool of General Practice, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China. whbgxmu@163.com.
Haiying ZhangDepartment of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, No. 22, Shuangyong Road, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China. zhanghaiying@gxmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Guangxi Medical Products Administration [2024] No. 047National Natural Science Foundation of China 82160158Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province 2017GXNSFDA198032
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCurrently, with the global aging of the population, inflammation, recognized as a hallmark in age-related diseases, has been studied and linked to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, limited evidence on whether inflammation modifies epigenetic aging and affects CVD risk.

methodsThis study included 404 CVD patients and 1941 non-CVD individuals from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cross-sectional data. Low-grade systemic inflammation was assessed using C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI). Epigenetic age accelerations (EAAs) were calculated as the residuals between chronological and epigenetic ages: Horvath age acceleration (AgeAccel), AgeAccelHannum, and AgeAccelPheno. Weighted linear and logistic regression analyzed the associations between exposures and outcomes, with mediating effects assessed using the Sobel test.

resultsAfter adjusting confoundings, the log-transformed NLR and SIRI were positively associated with CVD risk, and the odds ratio (OR) ranges from 1.260 to 1.354 (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the ln-transformed CRP was positively associated with AgeAccelHannum and AgeAccelPheno, and the coefficient (β) ranges from 0.505 to 1.304 (all P < 0.05); the ln-transformed NLR and SIRI were positively associated with all three EAAs, and the β ranges from 0.392 to 2.212 (all P < 0.005). Additionally, 1-unit increase in AgeAccelHannum and AgeAccelPheno was associated with 2.8% (OR: 1.028, 95% CI 1.007-1.049, P = 0.011) and 3.5% (OR: 1.035, 95% CI 1.014-1.056, P = 0.002) increase in CVD risk, respectively. After adjusting confoundings, mediation analysis showed that AgeAccelHannum mediates 10.44% (P = 0.046) of the association between NLR and CVD risk; and AgeAccelPheno mediates 24.03% (P = 0.009) and 18.16% (P = 0.015) of the NLR-CVD and SIRI-CVD risk associations, respectively.

conclusionOur results demonstrate that EAAs mediate the association between systemic inflammation and CVD risk, highlighting the potential of a multi-target approach to inflammation and epigenetic modifications for personalized management to reduce CVD risk.

Indexed as

AgingCardiovascular DiseasesEpigenesis, GeneticInflammationAdultAgedAge FactorsC-Reactive ProteinCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeutrophilsNutrition SurveysRisk FactorsC-Reactive ProteinCardiovascular diseaseEpigenetic age accelerationLow-grade systemic inflammationMediationNHANES

Identifiers

PMID40450302
PMCPMC12125769

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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.