Research from the University of Hawaii shows that Native Hawaiians age at an accelerated rate due to lifestyle and socioeconomic conditions. Adjusting for these factors can help reduce health disparities and is a proactive health policy. Age is usually related to a person's year of birth. However, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that age is better linked to other factors such as health, diet, exercise, career and education.

For the first time, researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have found that Native Hawaiians experience higher levels of accelerated biological aging compared with white and Japanese-American residents. Additionally, they found that living in disadvantaged environments, such as low socioeconomic neighborhoods, was associated with accelerated biological aging, regardless of ethnic background. However, life experience may have a protective effect against accelerated aging.

"We observed that despite living in poorer socioeconomic communities, those who were more physically active, more educated, and ate healthier diets tended to be closer to normal biological aging, which was independently associated with lower body mass index and lower risk of diabetes," said lead author Alika Maunakea, a professor of Native Hawaiian epigenetics and a health disparities researcher at the John Burns School of Medicine.

To determine the findings, Maunakea and his team analyzed DNA samples from 376 participants in an ongoing multiethnic cohort at Boston University Cancer Center. Biological aging refers to the gradual decline of cellular and physiological functions over time, reflecting the true age of the human body at the molecular and cellular levels, which may be different from the actual age. Biological aging is determined by studying a person's DNA, but not the actual DNA sequence in what we know as genetics.

This epigenetic process, called "DNA methylation," controls gene activity and indicates biological age. Scientists can determine whether a person is aging faster or slower than their actual age by measuring methylation in blood cells. Faster biological aging is known as age acceleration and may correspond to health problems.

The relationship between life experience and DNA methylation-derived biological age has mostly been studied in people of European ancestry, with only a few studies looking at ethnically diverse populations. However, there are disease disparities in health among racial groups, including Native Hawaiians, who have a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers and develop them at an earlier age than all other major ethnic groups in the state of Hawaii. Native Hawaiians also have the highest all-cause mortality of any other group. Maunakea hopes this research will reveal biological mechanisms that help explain the roots of Native Hawaiian health disparities so that these issues can be better addressed.

"The results of this study have important public health implications and can help inform health policy," Maunakea said. "Certain neighborhood-level factors that influence health, such as where you live and your surrounding environment, can be difficult to change. However, individual-level lifestyle factors such as education, physical activity, and diet can be improved through federal, state, and community programs, such as MAʻO Organic Farms in Waianae, which is working to close health and socioeconomic disparities."

The results of this research are personal to Maunakea, as he was born and raised in Waiainai. "To me, these results are further evidence that lifestyle is important to health and that as individuals we can do something about it," Maunakea said. Being Native Hawaiian doesn't mean we're doomed to get sick, even if you live in a poor community. Our data at the molecular level clearly show that engaging in a healthier lifestyle reduces the risk of disease and has the potential to extend lifespan. This gives me hope that in my lifetime we can improve the overall health and well-being of our First Nations people. "

Maunakea said more research is currently underway to determine whether different racial groups start out at different biological ages, or whether the observed biological age differences are due to social inequalities. A Maunakea-led study on the socioecological determinants of prediabetes has completed recruitment of more than 2,100 adult residents, the majority of whom are Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and is seeking to validate and extend these findings.

Compiled from /ScitechDaily

DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.21889