medRxiv · Apr 9, 2026

Non-genetic component of height as a surrogate marker for childhood socioeconomic position and its association with cardiovascular and brain health: results from HCHS/SOL

By Moon JY, Filigrana P, Gallo LC et al.

Childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) can have lifelong effects on health. Many studies have used adult height as a surrogate marker for early-life conditions. In this study, we derived the non-genetic component of height, calculated as the residual from sex-specific standardized height regressed on genetically predicted height, as a surrogate for childhood SEP, using data from the Hispanic Community Healthy Study/Study of Latinos (2008-2011). A positive residual would indicate favorable early-life conditions promoting growth, while a negative residual indicates early-life adversity that may stunt the development. The height residual was associated with early-life variables such as parental education, year of birth, US nativity and age at first migration to the US (50 states/DC), supporting the validity of height residual as a surrogate for early-life conditions. Furthermore, a height residual was positively associated with better cardiovascular health (CVH) and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults. Interestingly, among <35 years old, the height residual was negatively associated with the "Life's Essential 8" clinical CVH scores. These results suggest the non-genetic component of height as a surrogate for childhood environment, with predictive value for CVH and cognitive function.

doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.08.26350438 Open access PubMed 42078349 Biomarkers