Accelerated biological aging and health differ across racial and ethnic groups in a US cohort
In the Health and Retirement Study (2016–2022), links between life-course exposures, accelerated biological age from 22 blood biomarkers, and later health varied by race/ethnicity; accelerated biological age was less predictive of health outcomes among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults than non-Hispanic White adults. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Compared with non-Hispanic White adults, childhood health and adversity were not associated with accelerated biological aging for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults, and higher midlife socioeconomic status did not slow biological aging in these groups. [1]
Accelerated biological age was derived from 22 blood-based biomarkers from the 2016 Venous Blood Study, and its association with health outcomes was less predictive among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults. [1]
Among Hispanic adults, increased biological age was more strongly linked to multimorbidity among foreign-born individuals than U.S.-born individuals. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Observational cohort study (abstract)
- Population / context
- Adults in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (2016–2022), grouped by race/ethnicity and, among Hispanic adults, by foreign-born status.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 1, 2026
Life-course exposures and accelerated aging by group
The study asked whether childhood adversity and adult or midlife socioeconomic status relate similarly to accelerated biological aging across racial and ethnic groups. Compared with non-Hispanic White adults, childhood health and adversity were not associated with accelerated biological aging for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults, and in these groups higher midlife socioeconomic status did not slow biological aging.
Supporting source [1]
Accelerated biological age and health outcomes by group
Accelerated biological age was derived from 22 blood-based biomarkers collected in the 2016 Venous Blood Study. The association between accelerated biological age and health outcomes varied by race/ethnicity: it was less predictive among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults. Among Hispanic adults, increased biological age was more strongly linked to multimorbidity among foreign-born than U.S.-born individuals.
Supporting source [1]
Cohort design and abstract-only scope
Data came from the Health and Retirement Study (2016–2022). The researchers used regression models with interactions between race/ethnicity and life-course exposures, and between accelerated biological age and race/ethnicity. The authors conclude that the processes linking life-course conditions to biological aging and biological aging to later-life health do not translate uniformly across groups. These are associations, not causal effects.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract reports the cohort, years and biomarker source but not sample sizes, effect estimates or follow-up details. Findings are associations from observational models, not causal effects, and the abstract does not establish why links differ across groups.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Villalba Madrid M, Ríos Casas F, Farina MP. · europepmc.org · September 1, 2026