The biomarkers of aging are a set of bodily functions and conditions that tend to change with age. They are the same in humans as they are in non-human primates such as rhesus macaques. Frequent measurement of these biomarkers in calorie-restricted animals and animals allowed to eat ad lib, permits scientists to identify and measure the effects of diet on the process of aging. These biomarkers include: <img src="http://www.news.wisc.edu/news/images/aging.jpg" width="600" height="598" border="0" vspace="2" /> <ul type="square"> <li> Cardiovascular health - The heart weakens with age and the network of arteries that circulate blood can accumulate deposits that choke off the flow of blood. </li> <li> Glucose regulation - With age, some people develop diabetes, a chronic disease involving an insulin deficiency and a loss of the body's ability to regulate sugar in blood and urine. </li> <li> Brain function - Many changes occur in brain cells and function over time. Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's manifest themselves in the older body. </li> <li> Muscle and skeletal health - Muscles atrophy and bones weaken with age. </li> <li> Endorcrine function - The body's system of glands, which secrete helpful chemicals into the blood, becomes less efficient with time. </li> <li> The immune system - The natural system of defenses mounted by the body to combat foreign organisms like viruses, bacteria and parasites begins to let down its guard as we grow old. </li> <li> Oxidative stress - Life-giving oxygen, paradoxically, can be bad for health. Oxygen sometimes manifests itself as free radicals, toxic ionized oxygen molecules that roam cells disrupting other molecules in a cascade of cellular events that may be at the very root of the aging process. </li> </ul> The biomarkers of aging are a set of bodily functions and conditions that tend to change with age. They are the same in humans as they are in non-human primates such as rhesus macaques. The Biomarkers of Aging 385 1999-07-22T00:00:00-05:00 1999-07-22T00:00:00-05:00

true trdevitt@wisc.edu Terry 4 Devitt 3615 true