Aging-From molecules to populations

The mean age of the human population is steadily increasing in many areas around the globe, a phenomenon with large social, political, economic and biological/medical implications. Inevitably, this phenomenon is stimulating great interest in understanding and potentially modulating the process of human aging. To foster interactions and collaboration between diverse scientists interested in the biochemical, physiological, epidemiological and psychosocial aspects of aging, The University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences recently organized and co-sponsored a workshop entitled Aging-From Molecules to Populations. The following questions about human aging were discussed at the workshop: What is the limit of human life expectancy? What are the key indicators of human aging? What are the key drivers of human aging? Which genes have the greatest impact on human aging? How similar is aging-related cognitive decline to pathological cognitive decline associated with neurological disease? Are human progeriod diseases, characterized by premature aging, good models for “normal” human aging? Is delayed or “elite” aging informative about “normal” human aging? To what extent and by what mechanisms do early life environmental factors influence aging-associated physical and cognitive decline? To what extent and by what mechanism does the social environment influence life course outcomes? What physiological factors underlie the timing and extent of aging-associated physical and cognitive decline? How do cultural stereotypes and perceptions of aging influence the process and experience of aging? One of the primary outcomes of the workshop was a recognition that cross-disciplinary studies and “out-of-the-box” approaches, especially those that adopt an integrated life course perspective on human health status, are needed to expedite advances in aging research. This and other outcomes of the workshop are summarized and discussed in this report.