Measuring Small Differences in Aging Between Populations

The advent of tools capable of accurately assessing the state of biological aging, such as measurement of changes in DNA methylation patterns, means that researchers can now produce additional and more robust data on quite small differences in longevity that exist when comparing various human populations. Measurement doesn't say much about why these differences exist: there we are back to discussing the degree to which it is genetics versus lifestyle and culture. Nonetheless, this particular study provides good evidence for the utility of DNA methylation as a biomarker of aging, given that the results match up fairly well with those obtained from statistical population data. Having a reasonably accurate measure of biological age is very important for the future development of rejuvenation therapies, as it will make it much faster and cheaper to determine what works and what doesn't work. The cost of research and development will be greatly reduced if researchers can immediately test the results of a potential rejuvenation therapy rather than having to wait and see what it does to health and life span. "Latinos live longer than Caucasians, despite experiencing higher rates of diabetes and other diseases. Scientists refer to this as the 'Hispanic paradox.' Our study helps explain this by demonstrating that Latinos age more slowly at the molecular level." Latinos in the U.S. live an average of three years longer than Caucasians, with a life expectancy of 82 versus 79. ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs