Figure 2.
Low birthweight predicts epigenetic age acceleration. Birthweight was dichotomized at 2500 g, the WHO cutoff for low birthweight. A significant interaction (b = −0.39, p = 0.005) between age and birthweight was identified in a model adjusted for all covariates and immune cell type proportions (Table 2). The interaction effect is plotted here. A simple slopes analysis revealed that infants with birthweights <2500 g, that is low birthweight, exhibited accelerated epigenetic aging in the first 3 years of life (b = 0.40, p < 0.01), while infants with birthweights ≥2500 g showed no significant change in epigenetic age acceleration (b = −0.06, p = 0.49). Nindividuals = 61, Nobservations = 141. Red color corresponds to birthweight <2500 g and blue color corresponds to birthweight ≥2500 g