A new study from the University of Missouri found untreated obstructive sleep apnea accelerates the biological aging process, but appropriate treatment can slow or possibly reverse the trend.
The study is published in the European Respiratory Journal and was conducted by Rene Cortese et al.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 22 million people in the US and is linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions.
Age acceleration testing involves a blood test that analyzes DNA and uses an algorithm to measure a person’s biological age.
The phenomenon of a person’s biological age surpassing their chronological age is called “epigenetic age acceleration,” and is linked to overall mortality and to chronic diseases.
The team says age acceleration isn’t unique to OSA—it can be caused by a variety of environmental factors like smoking, poor diet, or pollution.
In the study, they tested 16 adult nonsmokers diagnosed with OSA and compared them to eight control subjects without the condition to assess the impact of OSA on epigenetic age acceleration over a one-year period.
After a baseline blood test, the OSA group received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for one year before being tested again.
The team found that OSA-induced sleep disruptions and lower oxygen levels during sleep promoted faster biological age acceleration compared to the control group.
However, the OSA patients who adhered to CPAP showed deceleration of the epigenetic age, while the age acceleration trends did not change for the control group.
The results suggest that biological age acceleration is at least partially reversible when effective treatment of OSA is implemented.
The key to CPAP’s success in slowing age acceleration is a strong adherence to using the device for at least four hours per night.
It’s not clear how age acceleration will affect clinical outcomes and how it applies to other risk groups or children with OSA.
The team says they need to learn more about the mechanisms and the biology behind these findings. It’s very exciting and thought-provoking research.
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