Lifespan is increasing worldwide, but health span has not shown a similar rate. Human aging has been associated with a decline in biological resilience and the risk of diseases grows exponentially over time, depending on hereditary, environmental factors, lifestyle, mental health, and stochastic factors. Despite this fact, old age does not necessarily result in poor health and not all age-related changes are maladaptive. Some aged individuals delay or escape frailty and/or achieve exceptional longevity. Combining different biomarkers have been proposed to understand why and how people become old at different rates and how they can be used to achieve healthy aging. Thus, it is important to better understand the determinants of healthy aging and their interventions to slow the aging process, reduce disease burden and high-cost dependency, and extend healthy life expectancy.

Since aging is not a single process and impacts several biological pathways simultaneously, no single measurement has proven to be useful so far. Thus, identifying a set of biomarkers of aging in combination would be a better tool to measure “biological” age and monitor health through life than any marker in isolation. Biomarkers of aging could be the key to predicting near or long-term morbidity and/or mortality risk and assist in promoting healthy behaviors earlier in life to reach older ages healthier. They may also help in the early detection of the risk of fragility and characterize normal, accelerated, and exceptionally successful aging. In addition, molecular and cellular markers can correlate strongly with relevant functional and cognitive parameters.

Differences between populations and within individuals make it harder to determine, evaluate or reproduce the indicators for unsuccessful aging or healthy aging. Thus, we need to identify and investigate those biomarkers signatures, once the challenge involves the applicable, reproducible, and predict future health and survival better than chronological age. Future advances need to provide more practical implications for the policy of healthcare to extend healthy life expectancy in an increasingly aging population. We welcome submissions that focus on the following aspects, but are not limited to:

•Biomarkers of physical capability and cognitive function
•Biomarkers of physiological function; well-being
•Biomarkers combinations and clinical health span-extending interventions
•Biomarkers of immune function and immunosenescence
•Measure of biological aging: challenges and practical utility
•Epigenetic marks of aging
•Metabolism, endocrine, nutrition, and biochemical measurements for healthy aging
•Levels of inflammation: balance between inflammaging and anti-inflammaging mechanisms
•Cellular, molecular, and immunological modification processes, not all age-related changes are maladaptive.
•Combining different biomarkers as a new target for interventions to slow the aging process and reduce fragility in its early stages

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Frontiers in Aging

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Impact