¶ Biomarkers of Aging
Biomarkers of aging are measurable indicators that reflect biological age and aging processes. These markers are essential for evaluating the effectiveness of longevity interventions and understanding individual aging trajectories.
¶ Overview
Aging biomarkers provide objective measures of biological age that may differ from chronological age. They help assess the effectiveness of interventions and predict health outcomes.
¶ Types of Biomarkers
¶ Epigenetic Clocks
- DNA methylation-based age estimation
- Horvath clock, Hannum clock, PhenoAge
- Most validated aging biomarkers
- Strong correlation with health outcomes
The Horvath clock, based on DNA methylation patterns, has been validated across multiple tissues and shows strong correlation with chronological age and health outcomes.[1] The PhenoAge clock incorporates clinical biomarkers and has been shown to predict mortality better than chronological age.[2]
¶ Telomere Length
- Chromosome end protection measurement
- Associated with cellular aging
- Variable predictive value
- Influenced by multiple factors
¶ Inflammatory Markers
- C-reactive protein (CRP)
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
- Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)
- Chronic inflammation indicators
¶ Metabolic Markers
- Insulin sensitivity
- Glucose tolerance
- Lipid profiles
- Mitochondrial function
¶ Clinical Applications
Biomarkers are used for:
- Intervention effectiveness assessment
- Personalized treatment approaches
- Health outcome prediction
- Research study endpoints
¶ Limitations
Current limitations include:
- Variable accuracy across populations
- Limited standardization
- High costs for some markers
- Need for multiple markers
¶ See also
¶ References
Horvath S. DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types. Genome Biol. 2013;14(10):R115. https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2013-14-10-r115 ↩︎
Levine ME, Lu AT, Quach A, et al. An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan. Aging (Albany NY). 2018;10(4):573-591. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5940111/ ↩︎