[Significance of determining biologic aging for gerontology]

Based upon historical findings in age research the authors state that new, actual hypotheses and models and the experimental examination of which incite re-thinking on the inter-disciplinary role or gerontology. The authors start from the fact that it seems to be possible today - GDR gerontology is capable to essentially support international research activities - to sufficiently precisely determine the biological age(ing) of human beings by the multi-factorial functional diagnostics. The degree of vitality is hereby applied as the criterion of biological age(ing) that considers the asynchronous bio-social dynamics of human ageing during the periods of development, maturity and regression. Gerontology is thereby now capable to define sex differently valid references values ("standard values") for vitality and biological age throughout all the ages. The authors elaborate the idea that the efforts of medical research activities are concentrating on the attempt to improve vitality which has been reduced by illness to an age-adequate level, while sport sciences are trying to increase vitality beyond this level during all the periods of life. From these aspects gerontology wins a new inter-disciplinary status as a scientific-theoretical and operational link between medicine and sport sciences. Both, gerontology and sports medicine in particular will have to make pioneers' works to spread these ideas.