Pace of Aging in older adults matters for healthspan and lifespan

Balachandran, A., Pei, H., Shi, Y., Beard, J., Caspi, A., Alan, C., Domingue, B. W., Eckstein Indik, C., Ferrucci, L., Furuya, A. H., Kothari, M., Moffitt, T. E., Ryan, C. P., Skirbekk, V., Zhang, Y., Belsky, D. W.

Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USARobert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA · medrxiv

Paper

Abstract

As societies age, policy makers need tools to understand how demographic aging will affect population health and to develop programs to increase healthspan. The current metrics used for policy analysis do not distinguish differences caused by early-life factors, such as prenatal care and nutrition, from those caused by ongoing changes in peoples bodies due to aging. Here we introduce an adapted Pace of Aging method designed to quantify differences between individuals and populations in the speed of aging-related health declines. The adapted Pace of Aging method, implemented in data from the US Health and Retirement Study and English Longitudinal Study of Aging (N=21,463), integrates longitudinal data on blood biomarkers, physical measurements, and functional tests. It reveals stark differences in rates of aging between population subgroups and demonstrates strong and consistent prospective associations with incident morbidity, disability, and mortality. Pace of Aging can advance the population science of healthy longevity.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper addresses the pace of aging and its implications for healthspan and lifespan, which are central themes in longevity research. By introducing an adapted Pace of Aging method and demonstrating its associations with morbidity, disability, and mortality, the study contributes valuable insights into the quantification of aging processes. However, while the findings are important, they appear to be more of an incremental advance rather than a groundbreaking discovery, hence the moderate impact score.

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