Biological aging surprisingly linked to education level

A healthy lifestyle that includes eating well, exercising, and regular doctor visits can certainly help support a longer life. However, recent research suggests that one key to living longer may be entirely out of your control: whether your grandparents went to college.

In a study published in Social Science and Medicine, researchers from Drexel University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina found a significant link between the education level of grandparents and the biological aging of their grandchildren. Their findings suggest that a grandparent’s education could influence the pace of aging for future generations at the cellular level, a concept known as "biological" or "epigenetic" age.

Biological age measures how old a person is based on their health profile and cellular function, not their chronological age. The study used a cutting-edge approach, leveraging five different epigenetic aging clocks that analyze DNA methylation, a biological process that alters with age. The research found that grandchildren of college-educated grandparents had slower biological aging—appearing younger biologically—compared to those whose grandparents did not graduate from college.

Agus Surachman, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor at Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health, highlighted the importance of these findings. “We know from animal studies that health is transmitted across several generations, from grandparents to grandchildren,” Surachman explained. “But we now have robust human data showing that not only do parents’ socioeconomic factors play a role in their children’s health, but that influence extends back an extra generation as well.”

The team gathered data from three generations, examining the education levels of parents and grandparents and health data from both parents and their children. Participants were drawn from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Growth and Health Study (NGHS). Mothers who participated were first recruited between the ages of 9 and 10 and later re-recruited three decades later, providing data on their health, education, and their children’s epigenetic age.

The researchers controlled for factors that could influence the health of the children, including the age and sex of the children, body mass index (BMI), and the mother’s health profile, childhood family structure, and marital status. The results remained consistent—grandparents' education significantly impacted grandchildren’s biological age.

One possible explanation for this transmission effect, the researchers hypothesized, might be the mother’s health. They examined the mother’s BMI, cardiovascular health, and C-reactive protein levels—a marker of body inflammation—and found that maternal health explained about 14.5% of the link between grandparental education and grandchild biological age.

“The mother’s poorer metabolic health is a partial mediator of this relationship,” said senior author Elissa Epel, PhD, professor at the University of California, San Francisco. “This opens up a myriad of possible explanations and will need to be replicated.”

Though parental socioeconomic status is often linked to a child’s health outcomes, this study adds a new layer by showing the impact of education across multiple generations. “This understanding about the intergenerational nature of transmission of social advantages and health should make us rethink our values,” Surachman said. “I’d like to see more resources invested in education and health, factors which shape offspring health even before we are born.”

These findings align with past research on the long-term effects of trauma on gene methylation. Studies on survivors of traumatic events, such as the Holocaust or the Tutsi genocide, have shown that the stress experienced can influence the gene methylation of not only the survivors but also their children. This study, however, offers insights into how more common socioeconomic stressors, like education, can influence health in the general population.

Epigenetic clocks, like those used in this study, are promising tools for estimating lifespan and predicting risks for chronic diseases. Though consumer DNA tests can be costly—sometimes reaching hundreds of dollars—the price is expected to decrease as the technology improves, making this type of health prediction more accessible.

As part of their ongoing research, the authors are following the current study cohort to examine how grandparental and parental predictors influence children as they grow into adulthood. They are also expanding their focus to consider the social and psychological factors that contribute to accelerated epigenetic aging, especially in populations with chronic conditions like breast cancer survivors and chronic kidney disease patients.

The broader implications of the research may lead to a shift in how health is perceived. “In the United States, we tend to over-emphasize individual responsibility when it comes to health,” Surachman noted.

“There’s a lot of blaming people for their poor health. But the reality is that health is much more complex than that. Some factors are simply beyond our control, such as the genetics and the inherited epigenetics we are born with. I hope this helps us give more grace and compassion to ourselves and our communities,” he continued.

This study emphasizes that health outcomes are not solely the result of individual choices; they are influenced by multiple generations of social and economic factors. With further research, the team hopes to deepen our understanding of how these intergenerational influences can shape health trajectories over time.

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