A recent study that included members of the Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program determined the associations between epigenetic markers and cigarette smoking in Costa Rican adults, including those from the high longevity region of Nicoya. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
UBC Authors
- Dr Lisa McEwen, former PhD Student, Department of Medical Genetics
- Hannah-Ruth Engelbrecht, PhD Student, Department of Medical Genetics
- Dr. Nicole Gladish, former PhD student, Department of Medical Genetics
- Dr. Michael Kobor, Edwin S.H. Leong UBC Healthy Aging Chair – A UBC President’s Excellence Chair
Summary
Cigarette smoke causes negative health outcomes, especially as people age, however, smoking cigarettes remains a common behavior around the world. There are many biological pathways that have been implicated in the effects of smoking on health. Growing evidence suggests that direct damage to DNA may be involved. There is also evidence that epigenetic modifications may be involved, which refers to modifications to DNA that can turn genes “on” or “off” but do not directly alter the DNA sequence. One common epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation, which refers to the addition of methyl groups to DNA which can alter the activity of genes. A recent study that included members of the Kobor Lab from UBC determined how DNA methylation associated with smoking in the Costa Rican Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging. This included participants from the region of Nicoya, Costa Rica where individuals are known to have a long lifespan. This study found that individuals that currently smoked cigarettes had several differences in DNA methylation. Additionally, former smokers had accelerated epigenetic aging, a measure of an individual’s biological aging. This study identified several new associations between smoking and DNA methylation. This study also provides strong support that former smokers have accelerated epigenetic aging.