Epigenetic aging: Biological age prediction and informing a mechanistic theory of aging.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and expert opinion without systematic search or original data
PubMed 35726002 · doi:10.1111/joim.13533
What was done
Narrative review summarizing progress in DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks, focusing on mechanistic links to aging physiology and clinical disease outcomes.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or quantitative effect sizes. It qualitatively describes advances in epigenetic clocks predicting mortality, identifying specific methylation sites relevant to neurodegenerative disease and cancer, and tracking longitudinal associations with conditions like type 1 diabetes and psychotic experiences.
Why it matters
Highlights the necessity of shifting biological aging research from pure chronological age prediction to functional and mechanistic insights that can guide clinical practice.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search criteria, quality appraisal of included studies, and quantitative synthesis. No original empirical data are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Epigenetic clocks track several hallmarks of aging, including mitochondrial dysfunction, stem cell changes, nutrient sensing/metabolism, aspects of DNA repair, and shifts in immune cell composition.