Exposure to ambient temperature and heat index in relation to DNA methylation age: A population-based study in Taiwan

Kuan-Chih Chiu; Ming-Shun Hsieh; Yen-Tsung Huang; Chen-Yu Liu

Environment International (Apr 2024)

Exposure to ambient temperature and heat index in relation to DNA methylation age: A population-based study in Taiwan

Kuan-Chih Chiu,
Ming-Shun Hsieh,
Yen-Tsung Huang,
Chen-Yu Liu

Affiliations

Kuan-Chih Chiu: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Ming-Shun Hsieh: Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
Yen-Tsung Huang: Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Mathematics, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Chen-Yu Liu: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Population Health Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Corresponding author at: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 186
p. 108581

Abstract

Read online

Background: Climate change caused an increase in ambient temperature in the past decades. Exposure to high ambient temperature could result in biological aging, but relevant studies in a warm environment were lacking. We aimed to study the exposure effects of ambient temperature and heat index (HI) in relation to age acceleration in Taiwan, a subtropical island in Asia. Methods: The study included 2,084 participants from Taiwan Biobank. Daily temperature and relative humidity data were collected from weather monitoring stations. Individual residential exposure was estimated by ordinary kriging. Moving averages of ambient temperature and HI from 1 to 180 days prior to enrollment were calculated to estimate the exposure effects in multiple time periods. Age acceleration was defined as the difference between DNA methylation age and chronological age. DNA methylation age was calculated by the Horvath’s, Hannum’s, Weidner’s, ELOVL2, FHL2, phenotypic (Pheno), Skin & blood, and GrimAge2 (Grim2) DNA methylation age algorithms. Multivariable linear regression models, generalized additive models (GAMs), and distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were conducted to estimate the effects of ambient temperature and HI exposures in relation to age acceleration. Results: Exposure to high ambient temperature and HI were associated with increased age acceleration, and the associations were stronger in prolonged exposure. The heat stress days with maximum HI in caution (80-90°F), extreme caution (90-103°F), danger (103-124°F), and extreme danger (>124°F) were also associated with increased age acceleration, especially in the extreme danger days. Each extreme danger day was associated with 571.38 (95 % CI: 42.63–1100.13), 528.02 (95 % CI: 36.16–1019.87), 43.9 (95 % CI: 0.28–87.52), 16.82 (95 % CI: 2.36–31.28) and 15.52 (95 % CI: 2.17–28.88) days increase in the Horvath’s, Hannum’s, Weidner’s, Pheno, and Skin & blood age acceleration, respectively. Conclusion: High ambient temperature and HI may accelerate biological aging.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords