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The role of lipid metabolism in aging, lifespan regulation, and age-related disease.

Aging cell
December 1, 2019
Adiv A Johnson et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman StudyAnimal Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate the role of ceramides and lipid metabolism in aging and longevity across various species.

Results Summary

The study found that impairment of genes involved in ceramide and sphingolipid synthesis extends lifespan in worms and flies, suggesting a potential role in aging modulation. Specific sphingolipid blood profiles were associated with exceptional human longevity.

Population

Nematodes, fruit flies, mice, rats, and humans.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (16)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
impairment of genes involved in ceramide and sphingolipid synthesis
increase
lifespan
worms and flies
-
extends lifespan
#1
overexpression of fatty acid amide hydrolase
increase
life
Caenorhabditis elegans
-
prolongs life
#2
overexpression of lysosomal lipase
increase
life
Caenorhabditis elegans
-
prolongs life
#3
overexpression of diacylglycerol lipase
increase
longevity
C. elegans and Drosophila melanogaster
-
enhances longevity
#4
surgical removal of adipose tissue
increase
lifespan
rats
-
extends lifespan
#5
increased expression of apolipoprotein D
increase
survival
flies and mice
-
enhances survival
#6
genetic deletion of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1
increase
lifespan
mouse
-
extended lifespan
#7
treatment with the steroid 17-α-estradiol
increase
lifespan
mouse
-
extended lifespan
#8
ketogenic diet
increase
lifespan
mouse
-
extended lifespan
#9
deletion of the phospholipase A2 receptor
increase
healthspan parameters
progeria mouse model
-
improves various healthspan parameters
#10
epsilon 2 allele of apolipoprotein E
increase
extreme longevity
humans
-
associated with extreme longevity
#11
epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E
increase
late-onset neurodegenerative disease
humans
-
associated with late-onset neurodegenerative disease
#12
age
increase
blood triglyceride levels
humans
-
tend to increase
#13
age
decrease
blood lysophosphatidylcholine levels
humans
-
tend to decrease
#14
age
change
specific sphingolipid and phospholipid blood profiles
humans
-
change with age
#15
specific sphingolipid and phospholipid blood profiles
increase
exceptional human longevity
humans
-
associated with exceptional human longevity
#16
Abstract

An emerging body of data suggests that lipid metabolism has an important role to play in the aging process. Indeed, a plethora of dietary, pharmacological, genetic, and surgical lipid-related interventions extend lifespan in nematodes, fruit flies, mice, and rats. For example, the impairment of genes involved in ceramide and sphingolipid synthesis extends lifespan in both worms and flies. The overexpression of fatty acid amide hydrolase or lysosomal lipase prolongs life in Caenorhabditis elegans, while the overexpression of diacylglycerol lipase enhances longevity in both C. elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. The surgical removal of adipose tissue extends lifespan in rats, and increased expression of apolipoprotein D enhances survival in both flies and mice. Mouse lifespan can be additionally extended by the genetic deletion of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1, treatment with the steroid 17-α-estradiol, or a ketogenic diet. Moreover, deletion of the phospholipase A2 receptor improves various healthspan parameters in a progeria mouse model. Genome-wide association studies have found several lipid-related variants to be associated with human aging. For example, the epsilon 2 and epsilon 4 alleles of apolipoprotein E are associated with extreme longevity and late-onset neurodegenerative disease, respectively. In humans, blood triglyceride levels tend to increase, while blood lysophosphatidylcholine levels tend to decrease with age. Specific sphingolipid and phospholipid blood profiles have also been shown to change with age and are associated with exceptional human longevity. These data suggest that lipid-related interventions may improve human healthspan and that blood lipids likely represent a rich source of human aging biomarkers.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AgingAnimalsHumansLipid MetabolismLongevityNeurodegenerative Diseases
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations272
Citations/Year45.3
Relative Citation Ratio12.93
NIH Percentile98.6%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.41
Normalized Score0.67
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