Metabolism and Healthy Aging
While life expectancy has increased across the globe, and people live longer than ever before, the increased lifespan has not been met with increased “healthspan” (i.e., years lived in good health). It is now estimated that almost 80% of aged individuals live with at least two major chronic health risk conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and dementia. Aging itself is a major independent risk factor for many of these associated health risk conditions. Hence, strategies that promote healthy aging can be highly effective in reducing the risk for age-related diseases, improving the quality of life for an aging population, and lessening an enormous economic burden on societies from direct and indirect costs from health care.
In Department of Physiological Science Laboratories, our Principal Investigators are focusing on how different aspects of metabolic dysfunction (e.g., obesity) can accelerate the onset of additional age-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and atherogenic dyslipidemia. In addition, how these conditions of elevated disease risk result in end-organ damage and lead to extremely challenging pathological conditions such as stroke, cognitive decline, renal failure and peripheral vascular disease factors is a component of nearly all research efforts of these faculty laboratories.
Our investigators are focused on how translationally relevant pharmacological, dietary
and lifestyle approaches can improve metabolic health, reduce disease risk, and promote
healthier aging, with the goal of reducing the burden of cardiovascular/cerebrovascular
disease as well as other organ specific pathologies in an aging population.
