Menopause accelerates epigenetic aging.

Menopause, which typically occurs around the age of 52 years, is the cessation of a female’s menstrual cycle and signifies the loss of reproductive capacity. Evidence suggests that early menopause increases the risk for age-related disease and premature death. Findings from a 2016 study suggest that menopause accelerates epigenetic aging.

Epigenetics is a biological mechanism that regulates gene expression (how and when certain genes are turned on or off). Diet, lifestyle, and environmental exposures can drive epigenetic changes throughout a person’s lifespan to influence health and disease. Epigenetic age is based on a person’s DNA methylation profile and strongly correlates with their chronological age. However, some exceptions exist. For example, the epigenetic ages of semi-supercentenarians (people who live to be 105 to 109 years old) are markedly younger than their chronological ages.

The investigators analyzed the DNA methylation profiles of more than 3,100 women enrolled in four large observational studies (Women’s Health Initiative; InCHIANTI; Parkinson’s Disease, Environment, and Genes; and the National Survey of Health and Development) to identify links between epigenetic age and menopause. Their analysis was based on assessment of the biological age of cells taken from the women’s blood, saliva, and inner cheek. Because the age at which a female experiences menopause is heritable, they conducted a Mendelian randomization analysis to identify genetic links between age at menopause and epigenetic aging.

They found that menopause markedly accelerated epigenetic aging. Females who experienced earlier natural menopause were more likely to have “older” blood than those who experienced later menopause, but females who had surgical menopause (a surgical procedure in which the ovaries are removed) had older blood and saliva than those who experienced natural menopause. Cells taken from the inner cheek of females who took menopausal hormone therapies were younger than those who did not take hormones. They also found that a particular gene variant that influences the age at which a female experiences menopause also influences age acceleration.

These findings suggest that menopause accelerates epigenetic aging in females. The investigators conceded that their findings do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, however. In a related study, researchers found that menopause-related sleep disorders, such as insomnia or poor sleep quality, contribute to the accelerated aging associated with menopause. Learn more about accelerated epigenetic aging in this episode featuring Dr. Steve Horvath.

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