BUFFALO, NY — May 27, 2026 — A new #research paper was #published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on May 8, 2026, titled “The mediating role of DNA methylation clocks in associations of race, ethnicity, education, income, and occupation with mortality: findings from NHANES 1999-2002.”

The study was led by first and corresponding author Hanyang Shen from the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University. In this study, the authors investigated whether DNA methylation aging biomarkers—often called epigenetic aging clocks—may help explain how social inequalities become biologically embedded and contribute to differences in mortality risk. Social factors such as race, ethnicity, educational attainment, household income, and occupation have long been associated with disparities in health outcomes and life expectancy. However, the biological mechanisms linking these social exposures to long-term disease risk and mortality remain incompletely understood.

Using nationally representative data from 2,402 adults in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002 linked to mortality follow-up data through 2019, the researchers examined thirteen different DNA methylation biomarkers alongside traditional clinical and behavioral risk factors. The study evaluated whether these epigenetic aging measures mediated associations between social stratification factors and all-cause mortality.

The findings showed that several DNA methylation clocks significantly mediated the relationship between social disadvantage and mortality risk. Among all biomarkers examined, GrimAge2 consistently demonstrated the strongest mediation effects, accounting for up to 52% of mortality disparities in some occupational comparisons. DunedinPoAm, a pace-of-aging biomarker, also demonstrated substantial mediation effects across multiple socioeconomic categories.

Importantly, the mediation effects observed for several DNA methylation biomarkers frequently exceeded those of traditional clinical risk factors measured in the study, including C-reactive protein and cholesterol-related markers. The results suggest that epigenetic aging measures may capture the cumulative biological effects of multiple social, environmental, behavioral, and physiological stressors simultaneously.

“Among all the 13 DNA methylation biomarkers available in NHANES, GrimAge2 consistently exhibited the strongest positive mediation capturing the social disparities on mortality up to 52% (95%CI: 26%-128%), followed by the DunedinPoAm.”

Full press release - https://aging-us.net/2026/05/27/dna-methylation-clocks-may-help-explain-how-social-inequality-influences-mortality/

DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206377

Corresponding author - Hanyang Shen - [email protected]

Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XObIyirTJok

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Keywords - aging, race and ethnicity, social position, epigenetic aging, mediation analysis, mortality disparities

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