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Research Paper|Volume 18|pp 605—621

Early-life determinants of cardiometabolic outcomes and accelerated biological ageing in Colombia

Juan Carlos Rivillas1, Emilie Courtin2, Eleanor Winpenny3, Oliver Robinson1,3,4, Vineis Paolo1
  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
  • 2Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE), London, UK
  • 3School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
  • 4Ageing and Epidemiology (AGE) Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
Received: December 8, 2025Accepted: April 7, 2026Published: May 26, 2026
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206384

Copyright: © 2026 Rivillas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are critical early-life determinants of long-term health, yet their association with biological ageing and cardiometabolic risk remains poorly understood. We examined the association between ACEs, cardiometabolic outcomes and age acceleration among older adults in Colombia.

Methods: Data were drawn from 3,385 adults aged ≥60 years (1,726 women, 1,659 men) from the nationally representative Health, Well-Being, and Ageing Study (SABE-Colombia). Five ACEs before 15 years old were assessed: emotional abuse, domestic violence, poor self-reported health, scarcity of food, and forced childhood migration due to armed conflict. Biological ageing was estimated using Klemera-Doubal Method for Biological Age (∆KDMAge). Associations between ACEs and cardiometabolic outcomes (cardiovascular disease [CVD], diabetes, hypertension, and obesity) were evaluated using logistic and Poisson regression models; and associations with biological ageing using linear regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Results: Among women, emotional abuse (OR=1.68), domestic violence (OR=1.55), scarcity of food (OR=1.44), and poor health status (OR=1.66) were associated with increased odds of CVD (OR=1.68). Among men, forced childhood migration was associated with higher risks of diabetes (OR=1.60), CVD (OR=1.55), and hypertension (OR=1.43). Forced childhood migration was also associated with age acceleration (∆KDMAge β =1.52), with a stronger association in women (∆KDMAge β =2.67). Dose-response associations were observed between cumulative ACEs and CVD in women and hypertension in men.

Conclusions: Early-life adversity, particularly forced childhood migration, is associated with higher cardiometabolic risk and accelerated biological ageing in later life, emphasizing the long-term biological costs of social and political instability.