Sleep Apnea Accelerates Aging, but Treatment May Reverse It

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. But now researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have 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.“Age acceleration isn’t unique to OSA—it can be caused by a variety of environmental factors like smoking, poor diet or pollution,” said Rene Cortese, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Child Health and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health. “In Western culture, it’s not uncommon for people to experience epigenetic age acceleration, but we wanted to know how OSA affects systemic age acceleration compared to those who don’t suffer from this condition.”...Read full article hereSource: University of Missouri