eLife: Gene variants associated with mobility changes during aging

The findings help address why some people remain active as they age, while others find it more difficult to travel

Many people experience gradual loss of muscle and strength as they age, which can reduce their quality of life and lead to falls and fractures later in life

"While aging is a universal phenomenon, the genetic factors that contribute to individual differences as we age are unknown

In their study, the team screened the roundworm C.

Next, the team analyzed data from the U.

"These findings suggest that variants in the ALH-6 or ALDH4A1 genes can affect muscle aging in C.

The team warns that many human genes may interact with age, along with diet and other factors, to influence strength and mobility

"Because of the limited amount of data on human aging, biomarkers predicting muscle strength and flexibility are extremely rare," concludes senior author Sean Curran, gerontology, molecular and computational biology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Geriatrics.

Journal Reference :

1. Osvaldo Villa, Nicole L Stuhr, Chia-an Yen, Eileen M Crimmins, Thalida Em Arpawong, Sean P Curran.