Gene Expression in Pre-Disease Pathways: The Importance of Life Course Patterns of BMI

Cecilia Potente , Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich
Micheal Shanahan, Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich
Justin Chumbley, Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich
Steve Cole, University of California, Los Angeles
Lauren Gaydosh, Vanderbilt University
Brandt Levitt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kathleen Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

High levels of obesity in the United States and rising trends worldwide call for attention to the role of life course patterns of body mass index (BMI) in pre-disease pathways. Using recently collected mRNA abundance data in Wave 5 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study examines how life course patterns of BMI are related to gene expression markers of important health outcomes in later life, including cardiac infarction, type 2 diabetes, and immune/inflammatory functioning as indicated by the conserved transcriptional response to adversity signature (CTRA). We test hypotheses using a Bayesian approach concerning different life course models: accumulation, critical, and sensitive periods. Preliminary results show a strong association between Wave V BMI and gene expression scores related to infarction and type 2 diabetes among people who have not had an infarction and do not have diabetes type 2, respectively.

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 Presented in Session 11. Health & Mortality 2