New Geriatrics and Gerontology Findings Reported from University of Pennsylvania (Health insurance, healthcare access, and their roles in the association between blood lead levels and epigenetic aging in United States adults): Aging Research – Geriatrics and Gerontology

2026 JUN 18 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Aging Research - Geriatrics and Gerontology. According to news reporting originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Lead exposure remains a significant public health problem, and even within current standards, most individuals have limited means to avoid it. Regulating or removing toxic exposures remains a priority, but complementary nearer-term protections are needed.”

Funders for this research include National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Health.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania, “We previously observed that health insurance coverage attenuated associations of blood lead levels with two DNA methylation-based biomarkers of morbidity and mortality: GrimAge2 and DunedinPoAm. In this study, we evaluated whether healthcare access could account for or modify these relationships. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2,312 adults aged 50-84 years from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey-weighted generalized linear models were used to test effect modification of the lead-epigenetic aging relationship by health insurance and by healthcare access, defined as having a routine place of healthcare. In models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health factors, insurance significantly modified associations of lead with epigenetic age. Although model estimates remained comparable, interactions were no longer statistically significant after healthcare access was added as a covariate for GrimAge2 (b = 0.08, 95%CI: -0.08, 0.23, b = 0.60, 95%CI: -0.10, 1.28, P = 0.09) and DunedinPoAm (b = 0.001, 95%CI: -0.002, 0.003, b = 0.01, 95%CI: -0.003, 0.02, P = 0.09). Healthcare access alone did not significantly modify the associations of lead with either biomarker in models with or without insurance as a covariate.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “These findings suggest that healthcare access may partially contribute to the attenuation of lead-related epigenetic aging observed among insured adults and a need for further research to better understand these complex relationships.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Health insurance, healthcare access, and their roles in the association between blood lead levels and epigenetic aging in United States adults. GeroScience, 2026. GeroScience can be contacted at: Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Center for Health Justice, Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Dennis Khodasevich, Nicole Gladish, Hanyang Shen, Anne K. Bozack, Saher Daredia, David H. Rehkopf and Andres Cardenas.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-026-02359-9. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal GeroScience is: Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands.

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