Multi-modal atlas of lifestyle interventions reveals malleability of ageing-linked molecular features
Abstract
Extending human healthspan requires understanding how lifestyle interventions impact molecular systems across tissues and time. Here, we present the TirolGESUND Lifestyle Atlas (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05678426), a longitudinal, multi-modal resource profiling 156 healthy women (aged 30-60 years) undergoing 6-month intermittent fasting (n=114) or smoking cessation (n=42) interventions. Participants were sampled up to four times across seven tissues and fluids, generating >3,450 biospecimens with harmonised DNA methylation, metabolomics, microbiome, and immune profiling, alongside skin histology, barrier measurements, and rich clinical metadata. We demonstrate the utility of this dataset through: (i) multi-omics-wide association studies linking traits to molecular features; (ii) integrative factor modelling revealing coordinated cross-tissue signatures; (iii) epigenetic-biomarker cross-omic associations, and (iv) CpG-level variance decomposition mapping stable, individual-specific, tissue-restricted, and intervention-responsive methylation patterns. We further show that ageing-linked features are selectively malleable: highly compliant intermittent fasting participants exhibited attenuated or even age-opposing molecular trajectories within six months. The atlas enables unprecedented within-cohort comparisons across omic layers and tissues, supporting discovery of context-dependent biomarkers, cross-system coordination, and intervention responsiveness. Data are available via an interactive portal, with sensitive data under controlled access (https://eutops.github.io/lifestyle-atlas/). This resource provides a foundation for exploring biomarker association and multi-tissue epigenetics, enabling hypothesis generation and benchmarking for systems biology and human healthspan research.
The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.
Research summary
The paper claims that highly compliant intermittent fasting participants exhibit age-opposing molecular trajectories within six months. This research is relevant as it explores lifestyle interventions that may directly influence the biological mechanisms of aging, contributing to the understanding of healthspan extension.
Author of this paper? Send a correction.