Exploring the impact of women-specific reproductive factors on phenotypic aging and the role of life’s essential 8

Abstract

Abstract Background Aging is an inevitable biological process. Accelerated aging renders adults more susceptible to chronic diseases and increases their mortality rates. Previous studies have reported the relationship between lifestyle factors and phenotypic aging. However, the relationship between intrinsic factors, such as reproductive factors, and phenotypic aging remains unclear. Methods This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), spanning from 1999 to 2010 and 2015–2018, with 14,736 adult women. Random forest imputation was used to handle missing covariate values in the final cohort. Weighted linear regression was utilized to analyze the relationship between women-specific reproductive factors and PhenoAgeAccel. Considering the potential impact of menopausal status on the results, additional analyses were conducted on premenopausal and postmenopausal participants. Additionally, the Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) was used to investigate the impact of healthy lifestyle and other factors on the relationship between women-specific reproductive factors and PhenoAgeAccel. Stratified analyses were conducted based on significant interaction p-values. Results In the fully adjusted models, delayed menarche and gynecological surgery were associated with increased PhenoAgeAccel, whereas pregnancy history were associated with a decrease. Additionally, early or late ages of menopause, first live birth, and last live birth can all negatively impact PhenoAgeAccel. The relationship between women-specific reproductive factors and PhenoAgeAccel differs between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. High LE8 scores positively impacted the relationship between certain reproductive factors (age at menarche, age at menopause, age at first live birth, and age at last live birth) and phenotypic age acceleration. Stratified analysis showed significant interactions for the following variables: BMI with age at menarche, pregnancy history, and age at menopause; ethnicity with age at menopause, age at first live birth, and parity; smoking status with use of contraceptive pills and gynecologic surgery; hypertension with use of contraceptive pills, pregnancy history, and age at menopause. Conclusion Delayed menarche, gynecological surgery, and early or late ages of menopause, first live birth, and last live birth are associated with accelerated phenotypic aging. High LE8 score may alleviate the adverse effects of reproductive factors on phenotypic aging.

Keywords

• Women-specific reproductive factors
• Phenotypic age
• Aging
• Life’s essential 8