Pilot study: epigenetic age acceleration and fitness in heart failure
In 14 patients hospitalized for acute systolic heart failure, epigenetic clocks tracked chronological age, but epigenetic age acceleration was not significantly linked to cardiorespiratory fitness, and biological age did not clearly improve prediction beyond chronological age. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Peripheral blood DNA methylation from fourteen REDHART2 patients hospitalized for acute systolic heart failure was analyzed with several epigenetic clocks. [1]
Biological age was consistently associated with fitness measures, especially oxygen consumption normalized to fat-free mass, but chronological age showed similar associations. [1]
Epigenetic age acceleration was not significantly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness for any clock. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Pilot analysis within a clinical trial (abstract)
- Population / context
- Fourteen patients enrolled in REDHART2 after hospitalization for acute systolic heart failure
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 17, 2026
DNAm clocks in 14 heart failure patients
The authors analyzed peripheral blood DNA methylation from fourteen patients enrolled in REDHART2, a clinical trial of interleukin-1 blockade after hospitalization for acute systolic heart failure. Genome-wide methylation was measured with Illumina EPIC arrays, and several epigenetic clocks were applied. These clocks estimate biological age and epigenetic age acceleration, meaning biological age relative to chronological age. The authors asked whether these measures relate to cardiorespiratory fitness, inflammatory markers and clinical parameters.
Supporting source [1]
Biological age tracked fitness, but so did age
All clocks correlated moderately to strongly with chronological age. Biological age was consistently associated with fitness measures, especially oxygen consumption normalized to fat-free mass (VO2_FFM). However, chronological age showed similar associations, and biological age did not significantly improve prediction of VO2 parameters beyond chronological age alone. Epigenetic age acceleration was not significantly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness for any clock. These are associations in a small pilot sample, not evidence of cause or of a lifespan benefit.
Supporting source [1]
Pilot scope limits conclusions on prediction
The authors conclude that in this pilot study neither biological age nor epigenetic age acceleration provided significant predictive value beyond chronological age for cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with heart failure. The trial registration number is NCT03797001. Because only fourteen patients were analyzed, the study is small and exploratory; the abstract reports no follow-up duration or effect sizes. The findings concern measured associations in this heart failure group and should not be generalized to other populations or read as causal.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. This is a pilot analysis of fourteen patients, and the abstract reports no follow-up duration or effect sizes. Findings are associations, not causal effects, and apply only to this heart failure group.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Mahdiani S, Talasaz AH, AlAzzeh O, Van Tassell B, McClay JL. · europepmc.org · September 17, 2026