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Review
. 2023 Dec;24(6):845-866.
doi: 10.1007/s10522-023-10041-2. Epub 2023 Jul 13.

Measuring healthy ageing: current and future tools

Nádia Silva  1 , Ana Teresa Rajado  1 , Filipa Esteves  1 , David Brito  1 , Joana Apolónio  1 , Vânia Palma Roberto  1   2 , Alexandra Binnie  1   3   4 , Inês Araújo  1   2   3   5 , Clévio Nóbrega  1   2   3   5 , José Bragança  1   2   3   5 , Pedro Castelo-Branco  6   7   8   9 ; ALFAScore Consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations
Review

Measuring healthy ageing: current and future tools

Nádia Silva et al. Biogerontology. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Human ageing is a complex, multifactorial process characterised by physiological damage, increased risk of age-related diseases and inevitable functional deterioration. As the population of the world grows older, placing significant strain on social and healthcare resources, there is a growing need to identify reliable and easy-to-employ markers of healthy ageing for early detection of ageing trajectories and disease risk. Such markers would allow for the targeted implementation of strategies or treatments that can lessen suffering, disability, and dependence in old age. In this review, we summarise the healthy ageing scores reported in the literature, with a focus on the past 5 years, and compare and contrast the variables employed. The use of approaches to determine biological age, molecular biomarkers, ageing trajectories, and multi-omics ageing scores are reviewed. We conclude that the ideal healthy ageing score is multisystemic and able to encompass all of the potential alterations associated with ageing. It should also be longitudinal and able to accurately predict ageing complications at an early stage in order to maximize the chances of successful early intervention.

Keywords: Ageing biomarkers; Ageing scores; Biological age; Healthy ageing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evaluation of the ageing quality throughout the lifespan. Currently, measurement and evaluation of ageing begin when ageing-related diseases arise, ending the health span period of life. This usually occurs after 60 years of age when physiological imbalance gives rise to functional impairment. Current evaluation of ageing uses several approaches, among them the healthy ageing index, intrinsic capacity construct, and frailty index. In fact, ageing begins earlier in life with the molecular imbalance; application of new biomarkers of ageing quality (ex., epigenetic clocks, transcriptome or metabolome) can be used from early adulthood to determine biological age and ageing rate. In addition, ageing trajectories and ageotype could be used to monitor ageing progression and allow implementation of healthy ageing policies from a young adult age
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