Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Genetic contribution to biological aging: the Framingham Study.

David Karasik1, Marian T Hannan, L Adrienne Cupples

  • 1Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02131, USA. karasik@mail.hrca.harvard.edu

The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
|March 20, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Genetic factors significantly influence biological aging (BA) in American adults, as measured by hand radiographs. Environmental and demographic factors play a minor role in determining an individual's biological age.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Proxied therapeutic inhibition on sclerostin and atrial fibrillation risk.

Communications medicine·2026
Same author

Genome-wide Association Studies of over 30,000 Samples with Bone Mineral Density at Multiple Skeletal Sites and Its Clinical Relevance.

Genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics·2025
Same author

Picolinic acid, a tryptophan metabolite, exhibits anabolic effects in muscle cells and improves lifespan and movement in C. elegans.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2025
Same author

Membrane Palmitoylated Protein 7 is Required for Osteogenesis and is Linked with Bone Mineralization and Osteoporosis: The Functional Evaluation of GEFOS GWAS Hit.

Calcified tissue international·2025
Same author

Determining population-specific risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and severity to inform future individual-level integrated risk scoring.

BMC infectious diseases·2025
Same author

Multi-ancestry whole genome sequencing analysis of lean body mass.

Genome biology·2025

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Gerontology
  • Biometrics

Background:

  • Understanding the determinants of biological aging is crucial for developing interventions to promote healthy longevity.
  • Previous research suggests both genetic and environmental factors contribute to aging, but their relative importance is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the contributions of genetic and nongenetic factors to biological aging in American Caucasians.
  • To identify potential genetic loci associated with biological aging.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized hand radiographs from the Framingham Heart Study cohort (n=1402) to calculate an osseographic score.
  • Defined biological age (BA) using standardized residuals between predicted and actual age.
  • Employed variance component and linkage analyses to assess genetic and environmental influences.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Nongenetic factors (sex, cohort, BMI, height, menopausal status, estrogen use) explained approximately 6% of BA variance.
  • Genetic factors accounted for a substantial 57% of the total variance in BA.
  • Linkage analysis identified potential quantitative trait loci on chromosomes 3p, 7q, 11p, 16q, and 21q.

Conclusions:

  • Biological aging, as assessed by osseographic scoring of hand radiographs, is predominantly influenced by genetic factors in American adults.
  • These findings highlight the significant role of heritability in the aging process and provide targets for future genetic research.