Abstract
Aging as a major risk factor influences the probability of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, amongst others. The underlying mechanisms of disease are still not fully understood, but research suggests that delaying the aging process could ameliorate these pathologies. A key biological process in aging is cellular senescence which is associated with several stressors such as telomere shortening or enhanced DNA methylation. Telomere length as well as DNA methylation levels can be used as biological age predictors which are able to detect excessive acceleration or deceleration of aging. Analytical methods examining aging are often not suitable, expensive, time-consuming or require a high level of technical expertise. Therefore, research focusses on combining analytical methods which have the potential to simultaneously analyse epigenetic, genomic as well as metabolic changes.
Highlights
In recent decades, an increase in average lifespan has been recorded globally
While the life expectancy increased by 6.6 years from 2000 until 2019, healthy life expectancy (HALE) increased by only 5.4 years on average [1]
Health care no longer focuses exclusively on extending lifespan; healthy life expectancy has become a focus in health care and research projects [9,10]
Summary
In recent decades, an increase in average lifespan has been recorded globally. Chronic noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus, geriatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases are increasing, partially due to association of their prevalence with increasing age [4,5,6,7,8]. For this reason, health care no longer focuses exclusively on extending lifespan; healthy life expectancy has become a focus in health care and research projects [9,10].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
