Summary
Dr. Steve Horvath, a professor of genetics and biostatistics at UCLA, was recently interviewed in a podcast about his work on measuring biological age. He discussed the Horvath aging clock, the most accurate molecular measure of age that is applicable to all cells in the body. Dr. Horvath explained how epigenetic clocks can track changes in the genome to predict biological age, with biomarkers like DNA methylation phenoage and grim age predicting lifespan, health span, and time to onset of diseases like cancer and heart disease. However, these biomarkers are not yet ready for clinical use, as their effect sizes are too small. Lifestyle interventions, while helpful for people who smoke or are obese, are not sufficient to significantly impact aging at the population level. The podcast episode also discussed the role of DNA methylation and stem cells in aging, as well as various strategies for anti-aging and their potential impact on epigenetic aging.
Dr. Horvath revealed how the epigenetic clock is under genetic control, and how some people inherit a genome that helps the clock progress more slowly. He discussed the stability of methylation patterns, which are the epigenetic aging clock, compared to other genomic measurements. He also found that Hispanics age more slowly according to the epigenetic clock, which could explain why they live longer than expected. The episode also delved into the immune system's role in Parkinson's disease, the age acceleration effect found in blood samples, and the link between gut health and Parkinson's.
Studies on the effects of bone marrow transplantation on aging found that the blood of the recipient aged according to the donor. Parabiosis studies showed that connections between the cortex and subventricular zone deep white matter of young mice and old mice aged faster, while there was no effect observed in the old mice connected to young mice. Furthermore, researchers have found that mutations in the genes coding for enzymes that add or remove methyl groups from genes affect epigenetic age.
Lastly, the podcast episode discussed the potential benefits of anti-aging strategies like vitamin D, omega-3 supplements, and growth hormone knock-out mice. However, more extensive and larger clinical trials are needed to validate these benefits. The podcast raises various questions that will be of interest to those looking to understand the latest findings on aging and the potential interventions that could help slow it down.
