Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41717551›Full record

ArticleBrain, behavior, & immunity - health2026

The role of health behaviors in links between stress and epigenetic aging.

Marlon Goering, Kyle J Bourassa, Maxine Weinstein, Anthony P Auger, Casey K Brown

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

5 authors.

Marlon GoeringDepartment of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Kyle J BourassaDepartment of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Maxine WeinsteinCenter for Population and Health, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Anthony P AugerDepartment of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Casey K BrownDepartment of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.

Funding

U19 MIDlife in the United States-Diversity Supplement-WellsU19AG051426 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI CAROL D. RYFF · 2016 to 2026
$74.8M
Integrative Pathways to Cognitive, Affective, and Brain HealthU01AG077928 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI Sterling C Johnson, MARGIE E LACHMAN · 2022 to 2026
$17.7M
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Neurodegenerative Disease: Pathways to Caregiver HealthR00AG073617 · NIA · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · PI BROWN, CASEY LEIGH · 2022 to 2025
$1.2M
NIA NIH HHS R00 AG073617NIA NIH HHS U01 AG077928NIA NIH HHS U19 AG051426
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

High levels of stress are associated with accelerated epigenetic aging and health risks. However, less is known about the independent effects of different types of stress and whether these effects are explained by unhealthy behaviors. This study involved 1308 adults from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (53% female; 69% White, 22% Black; mean age: 54 years) to examine the independent effects of stressful life events and perceived stress on three DNA methylation-based measures of epigenetic aging (DNAm measures: GrimAge, DunedinPACE, PhenoAge). We also tested whether tobacco use, alcohol use, sleep problems, low diet quality, and low physical exercise mediate these effects. The results indicated that both perceived stress and stressful life events independently predict accelerated epigenetic aging indirectly through unhealthy behaviors across multiple DNAm measures of aging. Specifically, perceived stress predicted accelerated epigenetic aging through more sleep problems, lower diet quality, and lower physical exercise, whereas stressful life events predicted accelerated epigenetic aging through more tobacco and alcohol use as well as sleep problems. In addition, stressful life events directly predicted accelerated GrimAge above and beyond health behaviors. In summary, these findings underscore the critical role of health behaviors in linking different types of stress with biological aging and associated health issues.

Indexed as

DNAm epigenetic agingHealth behaviorsMediationStress

Identifiers

PMID41717551
PMCPMC12914688

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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.