Autistic traits are associated with faster pace of aging: Evidence from the Dunedin study at age 45.
Even mild autistic traits speed up body aging by mid-life, so pair health checks with your behavior plans.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mason et al. (2021) tracked 1,037 people born in one New Zealand town. At age 45 each person filled out a short checklist about autistic traits. The team also measured blood pressure, cholesterol, lung power, and other body systems. These scores were combined into one 'pace of aging' number.
Doctors also asked about daily health and gave simple fitness tests. The goal was to see if higher autistic traits in mid-life predict faster biological wear-and-tear.
What they found
People who rated themselves higher on autistic traits aged faster inside their bodies. They also reported more aches, poorer sleep, and worse balance than peers with lower trait scores.
The link stayed strong even after the researchers removed anyone with an actual autism diagnosis. Sub-clinical traits alone were enough to signal poorer health at 45.
How this fits with other research
McIntyre et al. (2017) and Koegel et al. (2014) saw the same downhill pattern in adults who already carry an ASD diagnosis. Together the papers build a picture: autistic features—clinical or not—forecast steeper aging slopes.
Riches et al. (2016) looks like a contradiction. That study found theory-of-mind gaps closing after fifty and some cognitive skills holding steady in diagnosed adults. The difference is in the yardstick. G used pencil-and-paper thinking tests; David used body biomarkers. Thinking skills can plateau while bodies still race downhill.
Cummings et al. (2024) adds a life-span view. Their meta-analysis showed autistic and typical youth improving executive function at the same speed. Put the two studies side-by-side and a theme emerges: early adulthood progress, mid-life bodily decline.
Why it matters
If you serve adults who score high on autism trait checklists—whether or not they have a diagnosis—add quick health screens to your behavior plans. Check blood pressure, sleep hours, and activity level. Write goals for exercise, balanced meals, and stress reduction right next to your social-skills targets. Faster biological aging is silent; your data sheet can be the early warning system that gets medical help before small problems grow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Growing evidence indicates that the defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are distributed throughout the general population; hence, understanding the correlates of aging in people with high autistic traits could shed light on ASD and aging. 915 members of the Dunedin longitudinal birth cohort completed a measure of autistic traits at age 45. A composite measure of the "pace of aging" was derived by tracking the decline in 19 biomarkers across ages 26, 32, 38, and 45 years. Facial age was also assessed. Reports of perceived health were collected from participants themselves, informants, and interviewers. Higher self-reported autistic traits significantly correlated with a faster pace of aging, older facial age, and poorer self-, informant-, and interviewer-rated health. After control for sex, SES and IQ, autistic traits were significantly associated with each variable: pace of aging (β = 0.09), facial age (β = 0.08), self- (β = -0.15), informant (β = -0.12), and interviewer-rated (β = -0.17) health. Autistic traits measured at age 45 are associated with faster aging. Participants with high autistic traits appear to be more vulnerable to poor health outcomes, as previously reported for those clinically diagnosed with ASD. Therefore, autistic traits may have important health implications. Replicating these findings in samples of autistic people is needed to identify the mechanism of their effect on aging and physical health to improve outcomes for those with ASD diagnoses or high autistic traits. LAY SUMMARY: The role that autistic traits have in relation to health outcomes has not been investigated. We looked at how physical health and aging (measured with self-reported questions and decline in multiple biological measures) were related to autistic traits (measured with a questionnaire, at age 45). We found that higher autistic traits were associated with poorer reports of physical health, and a faster pace of aging. This suggests that both those with autism and those with higher autistic traits may be more likely to experience poorer health outcomes.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2534