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Félix J, Martínez de Toda I, Díaz-Del Cerro E, González-Sánchez M, De la Fuente M. Frailty and biological age. Which best describes our aging and longevity? Mol Aspects Med 2024; 98:101291. [PMID: 38954948 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2024.101291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Frailty and Biological Age are two closely related concepts; however, frailty is a multisystem geriatric syndrome that applies to elderly subjects, whereas biological age is a gerontologic way to describe the rate of aging of each individual, which can be used from the beginning of the aging process, in adulthood. If frailty reaches less consensus on the definition, it is a term much more widely used than this of biological age, which shows a clearer definition but is scarcely employed in social and medical fields. In this review, we suggest that this Biological Age is the best to describe how we are aging and determine our longevity, and several examples support our proposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Félix
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Institute of Investigation Hospital 12 Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Irene Martínez de Toda
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Institute of Investigation Hospital 12 Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Estefanía Díaz-Del Cerro
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Institute of Investigation Hospital 12 Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Mónica González-Sánchez
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Genetics), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Institute of Investigation Hospital 12 Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Mónica De la Fuente
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Institute of Investigation Hospital 12 Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain.
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Lozupone M, Solfrizzi V, Sardone R, Dibello V, Castellana F, Zupo R, Lampignano L, Bortone I, Daniele A, Panza F. The epigenetics of frailty. Epigenomics 2024; 16:189-202. [PMID: 38112012 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2023-0279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The conceptual change of frailty, from a physical to a biopsychosocial phenotype, expanded the field of frailty, including social and behavioral domains with critical interaction between different frailty models. Environmental exposures - including physical exercise, psychosocial factors and diet - may play a role in the frailty pathophysiology. Complex underlying mechanisms involve the progressive interactions of genetics with epigenetics and of multimorbidity with environmental factors. Here we review the literature on possible mechanisms explaining the association between epigenetic hallmarks (i.e., global DNA methylation, DNA methylation age acceleration and microRNAs) and frailty, considered as biomarkers of aging. Frailty could be considered the result of environmental epigenetic factors on biological aging, caused by conflicting DNA methylation age and chronological age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madia Lozupone
- Department of Translational Biomedicine & Neuroscience 'DiBraiN', University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Solfrizzi
- Cesare Frugoni Internal & Geriatric Medicine & Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Vittorio Dibello
- Cesare Frugoni Internal & Geriatric Medicine & Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Department of Orofacial Pain & Dysfunction, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fabio Castellana
- Cesare Frugoni Internal & Geriatric Medicine & Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Roberta Zupo
- Cesare Frugoni Internal & Geriatric Medicine & Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Ilaria Bortone
- Department of Translational Biomedicine & Neuroscience 'DiBraiN', University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Daniele
- Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Panza
- Cesare Frugoni Internal & Geriatric Medicine & Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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Dent E, Hanlon P, Sim M, Jylhävä J, Liu Z, Vetrano DL, Stolz E, Pérez-Zepeda MU, Crabtree DR, Nicholson C, Job J, Ambagtsheer RC, Ward PR, Shi SM, Huynh Q, Hoogendijk EO. Recent developments in frailty identification, management, risk factors and prevention: A narrative review of leading journals in geriatrics and gerontology. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 91:102082. [PMID: 37797723 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Frailty is an age-related clinical condition characterised by an increased susceptibility to stressors and an elevated risk of adverse outcomes such as mortality. In the light of global population ageing, the prevalence of frailty is expected to soar in coming decades. This narrative review provides critical insights into recent developments and emerging practices in frailty research regarding identification, management, risk factors, and prevention. We searched journals in the top two quartiles of geriatrics and gerontology (from Clarivate Journal Citation Reports) for articles published between 01 January 2018 and 20 December 2022. Several recent developments were identified, including new biomarkers and biomarker panels for frailty screening and diagnosis, using artificial intelligence to identify frailty, and investigating the altered response to medications by older adults with frailty. Other areas with novel developments included exercise (including technology-based exercise), multidimensional interventions, person-centred and integrated care, assistive technologies, analysis of frailty transitions, risk-factors, clinical guidelines, COVID-19, and potential future treatments. This review identified a strong need for the implementation and evaluation of cost-effective, community-based interventions to manage and prevent frailty. Our findings highlight the need to better identify and support older adults with frailty and involve those with frailty in shared decision-making regarding their care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Dent
- Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Peter Hanlon
- School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Marc Sim
- Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Juulia Jylhävä
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | - Zuyun Liu
- Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Davide L Vetrano
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erwin Stolz
- Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Mario Ulises Pérez-Zepeda
- Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Dirección de Investigación, ciudad de México, Mexico; Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan Edo. de México
| | | | - Caroline Nicholson
- Centre for Health System Reform & Integration, Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jenny Job
- Centre for Health System Reform & Integration, Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Rachel C Ambagtsheer
- Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Paul R Ward
- Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Sandra M Shi
- Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Quan Huynh
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Emiel O Hoogendijk
- Department of Epidemiology & Data Science and Department of General Practice, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Ageing & Later Life Research Program, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Gonçalves RSDSA, Maciel ÁCC, Rolland Y, Vellas B, de Souto Barreto P. Frailty biomarkers under the perspective of geroscience: A narrative review. Ageing Res Rev 2022; 81:101737. [PMID: 36162706 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Cellular and molecular aging biomarkers might contribute to identify at-risk individuals for frailty before overt clinical manifestations appear. Although studies on the associations of aging biomarkers and frailty exist, no investigation has gathered this information using a structured framework for identifying aging biomarkers; as a result, the evidence on frailty and aging biomarkers is diffuse and incomplete. Therefore, this narrative review aimed to gather information on the associations of the hallmarks of aging and frailty under the perspective of geroscience. The literature on human studies on this topic is sparse and mainly composed of cross-sectional investigations performed in small study samples. The main putative aging biomarkers associated to frailty were: mitochondrial DNA copy number (genomic instability and mitochondrial dysfunction), telomere length (telomere attrition), global DNA methylation (epigenetic alterations), Hsp70 and Hsp72 (loss of proteostasis), IGF-1 and SIRT1 (deregulated nutrient-sensing), GDF-15 (mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence and altered intercellular communication), CD4 + and CD8 + cell percentages (cellular senescence), circulating osteogenic progenitor (COP) cells (stem cell exhaustion), and IL-6, CRP and TNF-alpha (altered intercellular communication). IGF-1, SIRT1, GDF-15, IL-6, CRP and TNF-alpha presented more evidence among these biomarkers, highlighting the importance of inflammation and nutrient sensing on frailty. Further longitudinal studies investigating biomarkers across the hallmarks of aging would provide valuable information on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yves Rolland
- Gerontopole of Toulouse, Institute of Aging, Toulouse University Hospital (CHU Toulouse), Toulouse, France; CERPOP, Inserm 1295, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| | - Bruno Vellas
- Gerontopole of Toulouse, Institute of Aging, Toulouse University Hospital (CHU Toulouse), Toulouse, France; CERPOP, Inserm 1295, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| | - Philipe de Souto Barreto
- Gerontopole of Toulouse, Institute of Aging, Toulouse University Hospital (CHU Toulouse), Toulouse, France; CERPOP, Inserm 1295, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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Arosio B, Geraci A, Ferri E, Mari D, Cesari M. Biological Frailty Index in centenarians. Aging Clin Exp Res 2022; 34:687-690. [PMID: 34655428 PMCID: PMC8894165 DOI: 10.1007/s40520-021-01993-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study measured the subclinical frailty of centenarians by looking at the accumulation of their biological abnormalities. For this aim, a biological Frailty Index (FI) was computed in centenarians living in Northern Italy. The median value of the biological FI was 0.33 (interquartile range, IQR 0.28–0.41). The biological FI did not significantly differ between women (0.34, IQR 0.31–0.39) and men (0.32, IQR 0.26–0.43). The biological FI seems to have a narrower distribution compared to clinical FI we previously computed in the same cohort. In conclusion, our study suggests that centenarians benefit from exceptional biological reserves that might be underestimated by clinical appearances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Arosio
- Laboratorio di Geriatria, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Geraci
- Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Evelyn Ferri
- Geriatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Mari
- Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche di Neuroendocrinologia Geriatrica ed Oncologica, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Via Zucchi 18, 20095, Cusano Milanino, Italy
| | - Matteo Cesari
- Laboratorio di Geriatria, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy
- Geriatric Unit, IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Via Camaldoli 64, 20138, Milan, Italy
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Govoni S, Fagiani F, Lanni C, Allegri N. The Frailty Puzzle: Searching for Immortality or for Knowledge Survival? Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:838447. [PMID: 35250489 PMCID: PMC8891148 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.838447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
What is the value of assessing the biological age and frailty and predicting residual lifespan and health status? The benefit is obvious if we have means to alter the pace of aging and the development of frailty. So far, limited but increasing examples of interventions altering the predicted status indicate that, at least in some cases, this is possible through interventions spanning from the economic-social through drug treatments. Thus, why searching for biological markers, when some clinical and socio-economic indicators do already provide sufficiently accurate predictions? Indeed, the search of frailty biomarkers and of their biological clocks helps to build up a mechanistic frame that may orientate the design of interventions and the time window of their efficacy. Among the candidate biomarkers identified, several studies converge to indicate epigenetic clocks as a promising sensitive biomarker of the aging process. Moreover, it will help to establish the relationship between personal aging and health trajectories and to individuate the check points beyond which biological changes are irreversible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Govoni
- Department of Drug Sciences (Pharmacology Section), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- CEFAT (Center of Pharmaceuticals Economics and Medical Technologies Evaluation), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Fagiani
- Department of Drug Sciences (Pharmacology Section), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Cristina Lanni
- Department of Drug Sciences (Pharmacology Section), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicola Allegri
- CEFAT (Center of Pharmaceuticals Economics and Medical Technologies Evaluation), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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