Biomarkers · Aging & Senescence
DNA Methylation Age Acceleration (PhenoAge/GrimAge)
Lower values go with lower risk of death. No risk curve catalogued yet.
Published risk of death1.47×per SD increase in DNAm GrimAge acceleration (AgeAccelGrim) (95% CI 1.32–1.64) · ESTHER population-based cohort, Germany; two random subsets with EPIC methylation (n=741 and n=1030)
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in DNA Methylation Age Acceleration (PhenoAge/GrimAge), study by study
1 effect with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sleep | CBT-I vs sleep education therapy in adults aged 60+ with insomnia, followed 20-39 months | GrimAge -0.33 (95% CI -0.68 to 0.03; FDR-adjusted p=0.11) vs sleep education therapy, not significant | RCT | Carroll JE, Kusters CD, Taha HB, et al. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2026. |
What else moves this marker
They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.
Diseases and conditions
| What | Effect on the marker | Comparison · population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↑ Higher body mass index (adiposity), per 1 kg/m2 · GrimAge acceleration per one-unit BMI increase, twin cohort | +0.085 years | Per 1 kg/m2 higher BMI (1.02 months/unit, converted to years by /12) · Finnish Twin Cohort, MZ and DZ twins (n=1,424) | cross sectional · PMID 35699258 |
| ↑ Metabolic syndrome · GrimAge age acceleration, MetS vs no MetS | +2.63 years | Mean GrimAge AA 2.078 (MetS, n=56) vs -0.549 (no MetS, n=212); difference by subtraction · Finnish discovery cohorts of twins and unrelated adults aged 23-69 (n=268) | cross sectional · PMID 38273034 |
| ↑ Schizophrenia · Epigenetic age acceleration, PhenoAge and intrinsic (IEAA) clocks, SZ vs controls | SMD +0.29 | SZ patients vs controls, stratified meta-analysis restricted to PhenoAge and IEAA clocks · 8 studies; 3,096 SZ subjects and 3,394 controls | meta analysis · PMID 35780750 |
Environmental and occupational exposures
| What | Effect on the marker | Comparison · population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↑ Urinary cadmium, per IQR increase · GrimAge residual (age acceleration) per interquartile-range increase in urinary cadmium | +1.617 years GrimAge residual (age acceleration) per interquartile-range increase in urinary cadmium | Per IQR increase in urinary cadmium (GrimAge-Resid units) · NHANES participants with DNA methylation data (n=807) | prospective cohort · PMID 40782533 |
| ↑ World Trade Center (9/11) environmental exposure · Hannum epigenetic age acceleration, WTC-exposed vs unexposed women | +3.789 years | WTC-exposed vs unexposed women, adjusted for race/ethnicity, smoking, BMI, batch and cell composition · WTC EHC clinic women vs NYU Women's Health Study reference women | case control · PMID 41028045 |