Overview

• Analysis of more than 2,100 Midlife in the United States participants found higher cumulative social advantage associated with younger biological profiles on the GrimAge and DunedinPACE epigenetic clocks.
• The multidimensional measure covered parental warmth, community connectedness, religious involvement, and ongoing emotional support assessed across the life course.
• Higher social advantage correlated with lower levels of interleukin-6, while urinary cortisol, cortisone, and catecholamines showed no significant associations.
• Researchers used structural equation modeling to construct the latent social advantage variable and link it to DNA methylation and inflammatory markers.
• Published in the October issue of Brain, Behavior & Immunity—Health, the findings are framed within cumulative advantage and weathering perspectives that emphasize unequal access to social resources.