Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Hearing Function in US Older Adults.
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2026-02
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Abstract
Objectives
Hearing loss is a prevalent condition in older adults. Epigenetic age acceleration has emerged as a potential biomarker for age-related diseases; however, there is limited evidence of the link between epigenetic age acceleration and hearing loss in older adults or how it varies by sex. This study is to investigate (1) the association between epigenetic age acceleration and hearing function and (2) sex differences in this association.Design
Data from the Health and Retirement Study, a large, nationally representative sample of adults aged 50 yrs and older, were analyzed. The study included 1755 adults from the 2016 sample with epigenetic data. Epigenetic age acceleration included five epigenetic clocks: Horvath's age acceleration (HorvathAA), Hannum's age acceleration (HannumAA), phenotypic age acceleration (PhenoAA), GrimAge acceleration (GrimAA), and methylation-based pace of aging estimate (DunedinPoAm). Multivariable regression models assessed the association between epigenetic age acceleration and mean hearing test score (linear) and hearing loss (logistic).Results
The mean chronological age of 68.4 (SD = 9.4) was higher than the mean epigenetic age ranging from 53.9 (SD = 8.9) for HannumAge to 67.1 (SD = 8.6) for GrimAge. Overall, 58.4% of participants had hearing loss, with a mean hearing test score of 4.6 (1.4). Phenotypic age acceleration, GrimAA, and methylation-based pace of aging estimate were significantly associated with lower hearing test scores (β [95% confidence interval {CI}] = -0.081 [-0.15 to -0.01]; -0.150 [-0.22 to -0.08]; -0.089 [-0.16 to -0.02], respectively). These associations remained significant in females, while only GrimAA was still significant in males. GrimAA was associated with higher odds of hearing loss (odds ratio [95% CI] =1.23 [1.05 to 1.44]), and remained significant in females (1.47 [1.18 to 1.83]), but not in males.Conclusions
This study highlights the potential of epigenetic age acceleration as a biomarker for hearing loss in older adults and underscores the importance of sex differences in aging research. Findings suggest further research is needed to explore epigenetic mechanisms as potential targets for interventions to mitigate hearing loss in older adults, particularly among females.Type
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West, Jessica S, Qinyi Chen, Sherri L Smith, Jianxin Bao, Fei Zou, Yi-Ju Li and Rong Jiang (2026). Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Hearing Function in US Older Adults. Ear and hearing. 10.1097/aud.0000000000001797 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/34275.
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Scholars@Duke
Jessica Sayles West
Jessica is a medical sociologist who specializes in research on hearing loss, aging, and health disparities over the life course. Jessica’s work has described the “spillover” effects of hearing loss on health outcomes for both individuals and those close to them, as well as sociodemographic disparities in the onset of and life expectancy with hearing loss. Her research, which leverages both population-level data and electronic health record data, has appeared in the Journals of Gerontology, Social Science & Medicine, Ear and Hearing, and other leading journals in medical sociology, hearing, and aging research.
Jessica received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Social Anthropology (dual Sociology/Anthropology concentration) followed by an M.P.H. in Sociomedical Sciences with a certificate in Public Health Research Methods from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She subsequently received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology with a focus in Medical Sociology and Demography at Duke University. She then completed an NIA T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Duke University Aging Center under the mentorship of Matthew E. Dupre, Ph.D. (Population Health Sciences) and Sherri L. Smith, Au.D., Ph.D. (Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences).
Yi-Ju Li
My primary research areas include statistical genetics and the genetic investigation of human complex diseases and clinical outcomes. As the group leader of the Biostatistics and Clinical Outcome Group in the Department of Anesthesiology, I also have extensive experience in clinical research, applying both classical statistical modeling and modern machine learning methods to analyze clinical data. Below is a list of my research topics:"
- Statistical genetics: development statistical methods for different genetic data and phenotypic measures
- Genetics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-at-onset (AAO) of AD
- Genetics of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD)
- Genetic and HLA association for drug induced liver injury (DILI)
- Genetic and clinical research of postoperative outcomes, such as postoperative acute kidney injury, cognitive dysfunction, delirium, etc.
- Biomarker research for osteoarthritis (OA) and its progression
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