It’s not exactly revolutionary to observe that more education can produce more benefits to overall lifestyle — social, cultural, economic. But is there a direct correlation to longevity?
As reported here, by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, a new study suggests that higher levels of education not only contribute to a longer life in general social terms, but can actually slow down the rate of aging.
Researchers teased out that information by using the Framingham Heart Study, an ongoing observational study that started all the way back in 1948 and now covers three generations. Here’s how they did it.
To measure the pace of aging, the researchers used an algorithm known as the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock. By analyzing genomic data collected from the study participants’ blood samples, they were able to determine the rate of molecular changes that occur as individuals grow older. Remarkably, the findings indicated a 2-3 percent reduction in the pace of aging for every two years of additional schooling. This translates to a significant 10 percent decrease in the risk of mortality, as indicated by previous research on DunedinPACE.
From the article: “DunedinPACE was developed by Columbia researchers and colleagues and reported in January 2022. Based on an analysis of chemical tags on the DNA contained in white blood cells, or DNA methylation marks, DunedinPACE is named after the Dunedin Study birth cohort used to develop it. DunedinPACE (stands for Pace of Aging Computed from the Epigenome), is measured from a blood test and functions like a speedometer for the aging process, measuring how fast or slow a person’s body is changing as they grow older.”
Interestingly, the correlation of upward educational mobility and slower pace of aging along with decreased risk of death, held even within family sibling comparisons: siblings with higher educational mobility “tended to have a slower pace of aging as compared with their less educated siblings.”
Though the findings do show this strong correlation, further research would be needed to understand the exact causal relationship between education and aging. Does education somehow create a richer mindset that in turn extends its influence all the way down to the cellular level? Or does the challenge of learning somehow stimulate cellular-level response?
But even without understanding the exact mechanism (and it may never be possible to pin it down), the implications for SuperAgers and for public policy administrators are obvious: create more opportunities for continuing education. Already, more SuperAgers are going “back to school” — sometimes, as we recently reported here, in their 90s. Hopefully we’ll see much more this in the future.
But there’s already a rich menu for you right now. Here are some good resources for further information:
Free college courses for seniors
20 colleges with free tuition for senior citizens