External exposome, social disadvantage and biological ageing
Physical and social features of places where people live are key modifiable determinants of health. One of the biological pathways how environment influences health is via DNA methylation. Epigenetic clocks, derived from DNA methylation levels, are biomarkers of aging and they predict a wide range of health conditions. Emerging findings suggest a link between epigenetic clocks and environmental exposures, such as air pollution or neighbourhood deprivation. However, it is often overlooked that environmental exposures are correlated, and that associations with epigenetic clocks might differ between social groups and across the life course.
This project builds on the exposome paradigm, considering the totality of environmental exposures, and utilises epigenetic clocks derived from blood samples of adults participating in the Understanding Society Nurse Health Assessment. Residential information at data collection will be linked to environmental exposures, relating to physicochemical (e.g. air pollution, temperature), built (e.g. green space), and social domains (e.g. crime). The project will estimate associations between a) exposures, and b) exposure mixtures and epigenetic clocks. Dimension reduction techniques will identify mixtures across environmental exposures. Additionally, it will investigate c) how environmental exposures differ across social groups and whether social inequalities and age modify the association between environment and biological ageing.
Findings from this project aim to provide insights into how the environment ‘gets under the skin,’ considering the complex interplay between social, environmental, and biological factors. Applying the exposome approach can enhance our understanding of the complex environments, we live in, and provide better evidence for policy interventions.
