A team led by Mariana Rodrigues at New York University’s School of Global Public Health published findings in Psychoneuroendocrinology based on 726 women from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Participants answered questions about three specific worries—becoming less attractive, having more health problems, and being too old to have children—and provided blood samples for biomarker analysis.
The researchers used two epigenetic clocks to assess biological aging: DunedinPACE, which reflects the pace of aging, and GrimAge2, which estimates cumulative biological damage. The main finding was that greater anxiety about growing old was linked to accelerated epigenetic aging on the DunedinPACE measure. Among the worries studied, fear of declining health showed the strongest association, while concerns about attractiveness and fertility did not show significant links with the epigenetic measures.
The authors caution that the study is cross-sectional, offering a snapshot at one time point, so causation cannot be established. Harmful coping behaviors may partly explain the association: after adjusting analyses for smoking and alcohol use, the link between aging anxiety and epigenetic aging weakened and lost statistical significance. The team argues that aging anxiety is a measurable, potentially modifiable factor that connects mental and physical health and calls for further longitudinal research and support for people experiencing this anxiety. The research received support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Difficult words
- epigenetic — changes to gene activity without changing DNA
- biomarker — a measurable substance indicating a biological condition
- cumulative — growing by adding together over time
- cross-sectional — based on data from one time point
- causation — a relationship where one thing causes another
- longitudinal — relating to data collected over a long period
- cope — to manage stress or difficult situationscoping
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Discussion questions
- Why might fear of declining health show a stronger link to biological aging than worries about attractiveness or fertility? Explain with reasons.
- How could future longitudinal research help determine whether aging anxiety causes biological changes or is a result of them?
- What kinds of support or interventions could help people who experience aging anxiety, and how might these reduce health risks?
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