PhenoAge acceleration, serum tryptophan, and frailty in socially engaged actively aging elderly men.

Zechen Zhou, Yu Zhang, Jiangyu Guo, Yuetao Zhao, Ruiyue Yang, Boyang Yu, Peifeng Pan, Xianghui Zhao, Zixing Cai, Peiying Lv, Jiajia Hu, Dahai Huang, Liang Sun

Department of Basic Innovation Research, Beijing Hospital, National Center for Gerontology, National Clinical Research Center for Gerontology, The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of NHC, Beijing Key Laboratory of Aging Mechanism and Intervention Research on Aging-Related Diseases, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.Department of Basic Innovation Research, Beijing Hospital, National Center for Gerontology, National Clinical Research Center for Gerontology, The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of NHC, Beijing Key Laboratory of Aging Mechanism and Intervention Research on Aging-Related Diseases, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Biological aging varies substantially among older adults and may shape vulnerability to frailty beyond chronological age. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 928 socially engaged elderly men to examine the associations among phenotypic age (PhenoAge) acceleration, frailty-related traits, and circulating metabolites. PhenoAge acceleration, calculated from routine clinical biomarkers, was consistently associated with greater frailty severity, particularly among the old-old and those with lower physical activity. Targeted metabolomic profiling identified serum tryptophan as inversely associated with both PhenoAge acceleration and frailty-related phenotypes. Mediation analyses suggested that tryptophan statistically accounted for part of the association between biological aging and frailty. These patterns were further supported by age-matched sensitivity analyses and an independent external cohort. Together, our findings highlight the close linkage between biological aging, metabolic profiles, and frailty-related traits in actively aging populations and support the potential utility of integrating routine aging metrics with metabolic indicators to inform future longitudinal studies of healthy aging.

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

PhenoAge acceleration is associated with frailty severity in elderly men, with serum tryptophan playing a mediating role. The study addresses biological aging and its relationship with frailty, which are central to understanding longevity and healthy aging.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.