Biological Aging in Young, Healthy Adults Accelerated by Pregnancy

A recent study from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health looked at 1,735 young people in the Philippines and found that pregnant women looked biologically older than non-pregnant women. Moreover, there were much more noticeable indications of biological aging in women who had several pregnancies. Men in the same age range showed a surprising lack of influence from the number of pregnancies fathered, indicating that the effects are unique to pregnancy and lactation.

If the costs of reproduction appear early in life, this work fills a knowledge vacuum. Through the use of novel instruments that quantify DNA methylation—known as "epigenetic clocks"—scientists have been able to examine biological aging in younger subjects. These results suggest that biological aging is accelerated by pregnancy, especially in young women with high fertility rates. This association remained after controlling for variables like smoking, genetic variation, and socioeconomic status. Crucially, males from the same sample did not exhibit these effects.

Many of the pregnancies reported in the study happened in late adolescence, which could provide difficulties for expectant moms, particularly if they lacked access to support or healthcare, as main author Calen Ryan notes. While the study emphasizes the long-term effects of pregnancy on women's health, Ryan emphasizes the need for additional research to comprehend the potential effects of accelerated biological aging on mortality and health later in life, particularly in various global contexts.

In addition to recognizing that aging may differ globally, the study emphasizes the significance of providing assistance to new parents, especially young mothers. Overall, the results highlight the need to prioritize maternal health, particularly for young moms, and the possible health effects of pregnancy.

Source:

Calen P. Ryan, Nanette R. Lee, Delia B. Carba, Julie L. MacIsaac, David T. S. Lin, Parmida Atashzay, Daniel W. Belsky, Michael S. Kobor, Christopher W. Kuzawa. Pregnancy is linked to faster epigenetic aging in young women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024; 121 (16) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317290121

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