Healthy Aging

With aging, there is an increase in the proportion of individuals who survive with more morbid conditions. These conditions are closely associated with frailty, a multi-factorial syndrome that may result in an increased vulnerability to stressors, such as an acute cardiovascular event.

Another aspect is the physical characteristics associated with frailty, including loss of muscle strength, unintentional weight loss, low physical activity, slow gait and subjective exhaustion. We are studying this at a population level in PURE, and in cancer patients where we describe how common frailty is in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

In a pooled analysis of 154,000 individuals in several PHRI studies, researchers concluded that for persons with CVD or at high risk of developing CVD, the cumulative deficit index is associated with increased CVD events and mortality – independent of CVD risk factors – and adds incremental prognostic value.

Biomarkers and genetics play an important role in the study of healthy aging. Indeed, biological age clocks based on analysis of DNA modifications, named “epigenetics,” have emerged as a powerful tool to predict cellular aging and age-related diseases.

In addition, the function of mitochondria, the power plant of our cells, has also been linked to age-related disease. Using deep molecular investigation, PHRI is studying the effect of both biological age and mitochondrial function in populations throughout the world. The aim is to determine individual, environmental and societal determinants of biological and cellular aging.

These efforts will lead to a better understanding of the biological underpinning of healthy aging and potentially novel interventions to prevent accelerated aging.