Open AccessA 25-y longitudinal dolphin cohort supports that long-lived individuals in same environment exhibit variation in aging rates
Author(s) -
Stephanie VennWatson,
Eric D. Jensen,
Nicholas J. Schork
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.1918755117
Subject(s) - cohort , demography , biology , linear regression , longitudinal study , cohort effect , gerontology , physiology , medicine , statistics , pathology , mathematics , sociology
Significance Aging is a degradative process that varies among individuals. Due to limitations in defining and differentiating aging rates in human populations, understanding why some people appear to age slower than others has proven difficult. We analyzed 44 blood-based indices of health as candidate aging rate biomarkers collected over a 25-y period on a relevant, long-lived population of dolphins. Evidence of subsets of dolphins exhibiting slow and accelerated aging rates were detected, despite sharing the same environment, diet, and health care. Furthermore, some dolphin subsets were more likely to develop clinically relevant conditions, including anemia and immunosenescence. Our results support the notion that aging rates in long-lived mammals may be defined and provide insight into novel interventions to delay aging.