Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
Volume 111, Issue 3, Pages 555-561Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz326
Keywords
epigenetic; macronutrients; fatty acids; pregnancy; childhood; aging; cardiovascular
Categories
Funding
- Sydney Medical School BioMed-Connect grant
- Australian Postgraduate Award
- Australian Rotary Health PhD Scholarship
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship
- National Heart Foundation of Australia Future Leader Fellowship
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Background: Epigenetic aging is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality and may be a mechanistic link between early-life exposures, such as maternal dietary characteristics during pregnancy, and risk of adult disease. Objectives: We sought to determine the early-life risk factors for newborn epigenetic aging, specifically maternal dietary macronutrient intake, and whether epigenetic aging is associated with cardiovascular health markers in the newborn. Methods: Epigenetic age acceleration of 169 newborns was measured from saliva using the Horvath age calculator. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed using food-frequency questionnaires. Results: Newborns with positive age acceleration were more likely to be female and have greater body fatness. Maternal intakes of saturated fat [6.2 wk epigenetic age acceleration (95% CI: 1.0, 11.3) per 5% of energy; P = 0.02] and monounsaturated fat [12.4 wk (95% CI: 4.2, 20.5) per 5% of energy; P = 0.003] were associated with higher epigenetic age acceleration in the newborn. The strongest association of individual fatty acids were for palmitoleic acid (25.3 wk; 95% CI: 11.4, 39.2; P = 0.0004), oleic acid (2.2 wk; 95% CI: 0.8, 3.6; P = 0.002), and palmitic acid (2.9 wk; 95% CI: 1.0, 4.9; P = 0.004) per 1% of energy intake. Vitamin D supplementation was associated with lower epigenetic age acceleration (-8.1 wk; 95% CI: -14.5, -1.7; P = 0.01). Epigenetic age acceleration was associated with aortic intima-media thickness in preterm infants [1.0 mu m (95% CI: 0.2, 1.8) per week of epigenetic age acceleration; P = 0.01], but not among those born at term (P=0.78). Epigenetic age acceleration was not associated with heart rate variability in either preterm or term born infants (both P > 0.2). Conclusions: This study provides evidence of maternal dietary characteristics that are associated with epigenetic aging in the offspring. Prospective intervention studies are required to determine whether such associations are causal.
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