Board Member in the News: Scientific Director Steven Austad on Bio-markers of Aging in Hispanic study
On August 19th, 2016, HealthDay, reported on new research indicating that Hispanics may age slower than other demographic groups. AFAR Scientific Director Steven Austad, PhD, commented on the research methods used in this study and possible wider application within the field of aging research.
Based on existing research pointing to longer average life expectancy for Hispanics, researchers developed a biological clock which evaluates the rate of DNA methylation occurring in a person's blood and other tissues, and found that Hispanics aged more slowly the seven other ethnic groups tested.
Dr. Austad believes that once confirmed accurate, the biological clock used in this study which works by carefully looking at the gain and loss of methylation, would be very useful for researchers across the field.
Steven Austad, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor and Department Chair at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Learn more about the biomarkers of aging here.