FOXO1A-209-by-Tea-Drinking Interaction Is Significantly Associated with Reduced Mortality Risk at Advanced Ages

Yi Zeng, Duke University and Peking University
Huashuai Chen, Duke University and Xiangtan University
Ting Ni, Fudan University
Rongping Ruan, Renmin University of China
Chao Nie, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen
Xiaomin Liu, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen
Lei Feng, National University of Singapore
Fengyu Zhang, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
Jiehua Lu, Beijing University
Jianxin Li, Beijing University
Yang Li, Peking University
Wei Tao, Peking University
Kenneth C. Land, Duke University
Qihua Tan, University of Southern Denmark
Ze Yang, Ministry of Health of China
Lars Bolund, Aarhus University
Ming Qi, Zhejiang University
Huanming Yang, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen
Craig Willcox, Okinawa International University
Bradley Willcox, University of Hawaii
James W. Vaupel, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and Max Planck Odense Center
Simon Gregory, Duke University
Jun Gu, Peking University
Xiaoli Tian, Peking University
Elizabeth Hauser, Duke University

Proportional hazards model analysis based on data from 2,481 Han Chinese oldest-old aged 91+ demonstrated that interactions between carrying FOXO1A-209 genotype and tea-drinking are significantly associated with lower risk of mortality at advanced ages. The significant association is replicated in two independent CLHLS cohorts(p=0.018-0.048), and adjusted p-values for multiple comparisons by the Bonferroni method are 0.006-0.032 in combined dataset of two CLHLS cohorts. The results demonstrate that associations between tea-drinking and reduced mortality are much stronger among carriers of the genotypes of FOXO1A-209 compared to non-carriers. Based on previous research showing that intake of tea compounds activate FOXO1A gene expression and modulate its biological functions, we speculate that results in present study indicate that tea-drinking activates FOXO1A-209 gene expression which offers protection against mortality risk at oldest-old ages. Our empirical findings imply that health outcome of particular nutritional interventions, including tea drinking, may, in part, depend upon individual genetic profiles.