How to measure biological aging in humans

IF 58.7 1区医学 Q1 BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Nature Medicine Pub Date : 2025-02-26 DOI:10.1038/s41591-025-03550-9

Luigi Ferrucci, Nir Barzilai, Daniel W. Belsky, Vadim N. Gladyshev

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We were intrigued by the article by M. Arfan Ikram regarding the purported ‘misuse’ of biological aging, recently published in Nature Medicine¹. We are grateful to the author for raising this important issue but would like to offer a counterpoint to enrich the scientific dialogue on this topic.

When Peto and Doll stated “There is no such thing as aging”², they could not have anticipated the remarkable advancements in the understanding of the biology of aging over the subsequent two decades, including the development of various types of aging biomarkers. Although we concur that aging does not equal changes over time (but involves the accumulation of negative consequences of life, such as damage to macromolecules and organelles), dismissing the idea of any biomarkers based on calendar age as an approximate measure of aging seems counterproductive. Calendar age is deeply rooted in human life, science and society; it is reasonable to think that the accumulation of damage over time must come with consequences for health. It is also important to clarify how aging, biological age and disease are defined, because there is wide difference of opinion on these terms and concepts.

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来源期刊

Nature Medicine 医学-生化与分子生物学

CiteScore

100.90

自引率

0.70%

发文量

525

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： Nature Medicine is a monthly journal publishing original peer-reviewed research in all areas of medicine. The publication focuses on originality, timeliness, interdisciplinary interest, and the impact on improving human health. In addition to research articles, Nature Medicine also publishes commissioned content such as News, Reviews, and Perspectives. This content aims to provide context for the latest advances in translational and clinical research, reaching a wide audience of M.D. and Ph.D. readers. All editorial decisions for the journal are made by a team of full-time professional editors. Nature Medicine consider all types of clinical research, including: -Case-reports and small case series -Clinical trials, whether phase 1, 2, 3 or 4 -Observational studies -Meta-analyses -Biomarker studies -Public and global health studies Nature Medicine is also committed to facilitating communication between translational and clinical researchers. As such, we consider “hybrid” studies with preclinical and translational findings reported alongside data from clinical studies.