Regular arts engagement may help slow biological aging process

Regularly taking part in arts activities such as reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum may slow the pace of biological aging, suggests a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers.

The study, published in the journal Innovation in Aging, looked at survey response and blood test data from 3,556 adults in the UK. Researchers compared participants’ arts and cultural engagement with chemical changes to DNA that influence biological aging without altering the genetic code.

The research team found that those who engaged in arts and cultural activities more frequently, and who engaged in a wider diversity of these activities, appeared to have a slower pace of aging and a younger biological age, as suggested by changes to DNA.

The apparent effects were comparable to those seen for exercise. For instance, people who did an arts activity at least once a week seemed to age 4% more slowly than those who rarely engaged with arts. This was the same as those who exercised at least once a week compared to those who did no exercise.

The links were stronger for middle-aged and older adults aged 40 or above and remained after accounting for factors that might skew the results such as BMI, smoking status, education level and income.

Lead author Professor Daisy Fancourt (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level. They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise.

“Our study also suggests that engaging in a variety of arts activities may be helpful. This may be because each activity has different ‘ingredients’ that help health, such as physical, cognitive, emotional or social stimulation.”

Senior author Dr Feifei Bu (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological aging. This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do.”

The researchers used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample whose participants’ blood samples were analysed to estimate biological age and pace of aging.

This was done using seven epigenetic clocks – tests that look at age-related DNA changes (DNA methylation). Each of the seven clocks measured methylation (where a methyl molecule attaches to a nucleotide) at different sites on the genome.

The two newest clocks, DunedinPoAm and DunedinPACE, estimate the pace of aging, with a faster aging score associated with a higher risk of age-related diseases. Both frequency and diversity of arts engagement and physical activity were found to be linked to slower aging.

For the DunedinPACE clock, doing an arts activity at least three times a year was linked to aging 2% more slowly, monthly engagement was linked to 3% slower aging, and weekly activity to a 4% slower aging rate, compared to those who engaged with arts less than three times a year.

This difference in pace of aging is comparable to that found in previous studies between current smokers and ex-smokers.

In another test, PhenoAge, which estimates biological age, people who engaged in arts and cultural activities at least weekly were a year younger on average compared to those who rarely engaged. People who did exercise at least weekly were just over half a year younger on average.

The other, older epigenetic clocks analysed in the study did not show any benefit for either arts and cultural engagement or physical activity. The team noted this was in line with previous studies finding no link between epigenetic age, as measured by these clocks, and physical performance such as walking speed. The researchers said this may be because these clocks were less sensitive to predicting age-related decline.

Professor Fancourt and her team at UCL have investigated links between arts and health over nearly a decade. Professor Fancourt is a UNESCO Chair in Arts & Global Health and Director of a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health at UCL.

The new study received funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome.