Midlife aging and performance study (MAPS): evaluating biological aging through a physical capacity battery

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical science
• Public health

Background:

• Aging is a significant risk factor for chronic diseases, but its heterogeneity presents challenges for intervention.
• Current methods for estimating biological age (BA) using laboratory markers may not directly translate to actionable behavioral goals for healthier aging.
• The Midlife Aging and Performance Study (MAPS) aimed to bridge this gap by exploring physical capacity (PC) as a behavioral marker.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between a comprehensive physical capacity (PC) assessment and biological age (BA) in midlife adults.
• To determine if PC can serve as a functional behavioral marker for assessing aging status.
• To evaluate the utility of PC assessment for informing intervention goals and tracking health changes.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 112 individuals aged 42-46.
• Estimated biological age (BA) using the Klemera-Doubal method from 11 laboratory biomarkers.
• Assessed physical capacity (PC) through a battery measuring muscle strength, endurance, balance, agility, and flexibility.

Main Results:

• Better performance in strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility domains was significantly correlated with younger biological age (BA) (r = 0.33–0.49, p < 0.001).
• A lower composite PC score was associated with an accelerated aging state (BA > chronological age).
• Each incremental increase in composite PC score reduced the odds of accelerated aging by 60% (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.25–0.64).

Conclusions:

• Physical capacity (PC) serves as a valid behavioral marker for assessing biological aging in midlife.
• A comprehensive PC assessment battery can identify individuals in an accelerated aging state.
• PC assessment offers a functional, accessible tool for population-wide risk screening, intervention guidance, and monitoring health changes over time, independent of laboratory tests.