Parents’ attained age and biomarkers of aging in their children

Abstract

Long-lived parents tend to have children with longer life than their age peers. Long life may be at the cost of increased frailty as measured by specific biomarkers. Determining whether biomarkers of aging in children of long-lived parents are more favorable compared to children of parents with shorter lifespan is important. We investigated this question by classifying participants in a population-based study of adults in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, by the current age or age at death of their parents as reported in 1988–2000 (baseline examination). Biomarkers of aging (i.e., hand grip strength, chair stand, gait time, peak expiratory flow rate, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity) were measured in participants 10 and 15 years later. Gait time, peak expiratory flow rate, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity were significantly better in participants whose parents lived longer. Lower scores on an index combining poor measures of all the biomarkers were highly associated with increased parental age. Greater attained parental age was associated with better functional status of adult children as reflected in levels of aging biomarkers and suggests that persons whose parents are long-lived may enjoy not only a longer life but one relatively spared from frailties associated with older age.