In a recent study published in The aging of naturescientists discuss new geroscience tools and methods to study how environmental exposures can influence the aging trajectory, and formulate strategies to delay or prevent disabilities and diseases attributed to aging.

Test: To promote healthy aging, the focus must be on the environment. Image source: polkadot_photo / Shutterstock.com

Background

The risk of many diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer’s disease, ischemic stroke, myocarditis and musculoskeletal diseases, increases exponentially with age.

Subclinical processes decline with age, including reaction speed, muscle strength, wound healing, memory performance, organ system function, and immunity. The aging-related decline in physiological processes is more pronounced in some people than others, and a healthy lifespan is often linked to wealth.

Because genetics account for less than 50% of the variation in chronic disease risk and less than 10% of the variation in life expectancy, the environment appears to be one of the main factors contributing to differences in healthy aging. Gerscience is the study of processes and mechanisms, including those related to the environment, that determine and influence the progress and rate of biological processes related to aging and increase the risk of age-related disorders and diseases.

Emerging molecular tools and methods can be used to measure the biological and environmental processes that underlie aging to ultimately develop informed policies and programs that promote equitable and healthy aging.

Environmental factors and aging

Non-genetic factors and exposures that affect the human body and that can be modified by behavior at the individual level and interventions at the government or policy level are defined as the environment. The environment includes the social, biological, chemical, and physical aspects of our surroundings, all of which can directly or indirectly affect human health.

Environmental toxins that enter the body through contaminated food, air, or water are direct routes. A recent assessment of the global burden of disease indicates that environmental exposure to toxins through polluted air is the fourth leading cause of mortality. In fact, environmental toxins are one of the leading contributors to disability-adjusted life years, including kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and a variety of chronic respiratory diseases.

High concentrations of particulate matter in the air have also been linked to an increase in coronary artery calcification. Ingestion of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, mercury and lead, which enter the environment through vehicle exhaust and from agricultural and industrial sources, also significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Exposure to heavy metals is also associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

In turn, social and economic factors such as financial instability, political or social unrest, or the lack of a safe neighborhood that cause enormous psychological stress are indirect pathways that trigger toxic biological responses. For example, several studies have shown that people living in less disadvantaged areas have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people living in relatively less disadvantaged areas.

Lack of healthy food choices, safe places to walk, and dark and quiet periods at night can impact healthy eating habits, physical activity, and sleep quality, respectively, which may increase the risk of metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Tools of molecular gerialogy

The development of molecular tools, such as algorithms that can integrate clinical information from tests and tests to quantify indicators of aging, could significantly expand the scope of geriatric science and elucidate factors that influence longevity and aging. Epigenetic clocks are algorithms that combine information from chemical markers, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation, in the genome to estimate biological age and monitor age-related decline in biological processes and systems.

Epigenetic clocks have also been used to study the impact of environmental parameters on older people. For example, one study in Australia using epigenetic clocks found that a small increase in particulate matter was associated with a six-month increase in epigenetic age. Epigenetic clocks have also been used to investigate the role of socioeconomic disparities, racial discrimination, and childhood adversity in the accelerated aging of young people.

Integrating epigenetic clocks with molecular measurements such as proteomic and metabolomic markers may help decipher the influence of environmental exposures in shaping aging trajectories from early in life. This information can then be used to develop policies and strategies to improve treatment options and potentially prevent age-related diseases and disorders.

Conclusions

Scientists in the current study discussed the various ways in which environmental exposures may increase the risk of age-related disorders and diseases. Scientists also discussed the use of molecular tools such as epigenetic clocks, combined with metabolic and proteomic markers, to study the impact of environmental factors on aging trajectories.

In summary, a better understanding of the role of environmental exposures in age-related degeneration may help develop better prevention and treatment strategies.