Similar to SQLE, KCNQ1OT1 and SOCS3, which are involved in diabetes, CVD and various cancers5,26,40,43,44,45,46, most identified genes are characterized by their relevance to multiple diseases, making them the most robust signals on an epigenome-wide scale, which may explain the extremely strong association of the risk score based on identified DNAm markers with all-cause mortality. Here, KCNQ1OT1 is linked to diabetes mellitus.