Structured adult learning outside school or job associates with improved plasma markers of age

BACKGROUND: Peak educational attainment is linked to early life general cognitive abilities, mid-life socioeconomic status, and late-life dementia risks. Yet, it is difficult to study its mechanisms acting across decades of life given diverse paths towards peak attainment and lifelong learning opportunities. METHODS: We analyzed profiles of peak educational attainment, adult learning (formal, job-related, non-formal, informal), and their relationships to novel plasma proteomic markers of age in a regionally representative cohort of 580 adults. RESULTS: One in three participants obtained their highest degrees beyond first three decades of life, with differential associations with parental education and personality traits. Similar associations were observed for job-related, non-formal (structured learning outside of school or job), and self-directed informal learning. Only non-formal learning correlated with a protective profile of plasma proteins reflecting age-associated vascular dysfunction and arthritis. CONCLUSION: Non-formal adult learning may improve plasma age markers and should be further investigated.