Social relationships and immune aging in early midlife: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Farizah I Rob, Rebecca C Stebbins, Jennifer Momkus, Chantel L Martin, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Allison E Aiello

Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Aging of the immune system is characterized by changes in the T-cell compartment, including a decrease in naïve T-cells and an increase in memory T-cells. Stress exposures are known to predict accelerated immune aging in older adults. However, social relationships, which are often linked to stress mechanisms, have not been widely studied in relation to these adaptive immune biomarkers, particularly in younger populations. We examined associations between social relationships, in terms of quantity (Social Network Index, Close Contacts Index) and quality of relationships (spouse/partner, friends, and family members), and immune aging in a U.S-representative early midlife population (age 33-44) from Wave V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 4451). DNA methylation data of venous blood samples collected during Wave V were used to compute CD4

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Research summary

The paper claims that social relationships are associated with immune aging in early midlife populations. This research is relevant as it explores the influence of social factors on immune system aging, which could contribute to understanding the root causes of aging and longevity.

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