Knowledge · DoNotAge.org
Why do we age? Reading the science with context
A primer on aging research: what a biological framework explains, what an experiment tests, and the questions to keep beside a headline.
First published:
Aging is a connected process
Asking why we age is a starting point for research, rather than a question with one simple answer. It helps to separate the passage of time from the biological processes being investigated. A useful explanation should name the process, show the evidence and make room for what remains uncertain.
The 2023 hallmarks review describes twelve connected processes across molecules, cells and the body. Examples include genomic instability, cellular senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction. It is an organizing framework for research.
From an explanation to evidence
A description of a process and a test of an intervention answer different questions. Before applying a headline to your own life, look for what the researchers actually changed and what they measured. Those details are more useful than a broad promise to address aging.
For example, the SIRT6 experiment linked below used genetically modified mice. That is a different intervention from a person taking a supplement. Its result cannot be transferred directly to a marketed product.
Four questions to take to a study
- Who or what was studied? Keep a cell experiment, an animal study and research involving people distinct.
- What was compared? Identify the intervention and the comparison group, rather than treating every change over time as an effect.
- What counted as a result? Name the measured outcome. A laboratory marker and a change in how someone feels are different observations.
- What are the limits? Look at the duration, participant numbers, exclusions and the authors’ own discussion. Read those alongside the headline.
Keep the context when you keep reading
When you follow a reference, check that its participants and methods match the claim you started with. Notice who funded the work and which interests the authors disclose. Questions about a study are not answered by a portrait, a testimonial or a product name.
The related article takes this same approach to NMN and NR. It separates a change in NAD+ from other outcomes, and keeps results from different trials in their own context. The science hub also distinguishes ingredient research from the company-hosted reports about DoNotAge® Routine.
