Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 22 million people in the U.S. and is linked to a higher risk of hypertension, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions.
In a new study from the University of Missouri, researchers found that untreated OSA also accelerates the biological aging process and that appropriate treatment can slow or possibly reverse the trend.
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.
In the study, the team tested 16 adult nonsmokers who were diagnosed with OSA and compared them to eight healthy people 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 team says 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.
If you care about sleep quality, please read studies about foods that could help improve your sleep quality, and widely used painkillers that may harm your heart, kidneys, sleep and bodyweight
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies about tea that may help you lose weight while sleeping, and results showing that common sleep habit may increase your heart disease risk.
The study is published in the European Respiratory Journal and was conducted by Rene Cortese et al.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
