Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013;35(1):132-51.
doi: 10.1093/epirev/mxs011. Epub 2013 Feb 4.

Biochemical markers of aging for longitudinal studies in humans

Peter M Engelfriet, Eugène H J M Jansen, H Susan J Picavet, Martijn E T Dollé
Review

Biochemical markers of aging for longitudinal studies in humans

Peter M Engelfriet et al. Epidemiol Rev. 2013.

Abstract

Much progress has been made in the past decades in unraveling the mechanisms that are responsible for aging. The discovery that particular gene mutations in experimental species such as yeast, flies, and nematodes are associated with longevity has led to many important insights into pathways that regulate aging processes. However, extrapolating laboratory findings in experimental species to knowledge that is valid for the complexity of human physiology remains a major challenge. Apart from the restricted experimental possibilities, studying aging in humans is further complicated by the development of various age-related diseases. The availability of a set of biomarkers that really reflect underlying aging processes would be of much value in disentangling age-associated pathology from specific aging mechanisms. In this review, we survey the literature to identify promising biochemical markers of aging, with a particular focus on using them in longitudinal studies of aging in humans that entail repeated measurements on easily obtainable material, such as blood samples. Our search strategy was a 2-pronged approach, one focused on general mechanisms of aging and one including studies on clinical biomarkers of age-related diseases.

Keywords: aging; biomarkers; longitudinal studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hasty P, Campisi J, Hoeijmakers J, et al. Aging and genome maintenance: lessons from the mouse? Science. 2003;299(5611):1355–1359. - PubMed
    1. Blumenthal HT. The aging-disease dichotomy: true or false? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003;58(2):138–145. - PubMed
    1. Newman AB, Ferrucci L. Call for papers: aging versus disease. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009;64(11):1163–1164. - PubMed
    1. Sprott RL. Biomarkers of aging and disease: introduction and definitions. Exp Gerontol. 2010;45(1):2–4. - PubMed
    1. Strehler BL. Time, Cells, and Aging. New York, NY: Academic Press; 1962.

Publication types