Cropped portrait of an attractive senior woman reading a book while relaxing on the balcony with her dog
Well a majority of the pet parents have always believed this and now new research from the Dog Aging Project shows that genetic metabolic patterns tied to lifespan are strikingly similar in dogs and people, offering new insight into aging across species.
The same biological signals that help predict lifespan in humans also appear in dogs, according to new research from the Dog Aging Project — a finding that could help scientists better understand aging in both species.
In a study recently published in The Journals of Gerontology, researchers found that patterns of metabolites — small chemicals and molecules produced during normal bodily processes — were associated with earlier or later death in dogs in much the same way they have been shown in humans.
“The molecules that are risky for dogs or protective against a sooner death are very similar to those in people, showing that we share important features of aging biology, which is really interesting and rewarding,” said Dr. Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer for the Dog Aging Project and a professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, where the work of the Dog Aging Project is generously supported by the WoodNext Foundation. “Our findings also highlight the value of pet dogs as a model for studying long-term health and lifespan.”
Looking For Biological Clues To Lifespan
Because metabolites reflect what is happening at the cellular level, researchers can use them to study patterns associated with health outcomes.
In this project, the team analyzed blood samples from dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, a community science study that asks owners to share detailed survey information and submit physical samples from their dogs over the course of the dog’s lifetime. These blood samples were examined for metabolic patterns associated with lifespan — specifically, whether dogs died sooner or later.
“Death is an easy outcome to understand,” Creevy said. “It is very easy to tell when a person or a dog has died, whereas other features of aging health are a bit more nuanced.”
By starting with that clear outcome, researchers can begin to work backward to identify the biological processes that influence aging, such as metabolism, inflammation, or how cells respond to stress.
“If we understand why something happened, we have a greater chance of identifying ways to change it,” Creevy said.
A Metabolic ‘Fingerprint’
To better understand those patterns, researchers examined thousands of metabolites at once to identify broader signals that could predict risk. Creevy said studying groups of metabolites provides a clearer picture of what may be happening inside cells.
“Some of my colleagues refer to it as a fingerprint,” Creevy said. “We often look at a pattern or grouping that has a relationship with better or worse outcomes rather than just looking at a single molecule.”
These measurable biological signals — known as biomarkers — help researchers anticipate health outcomes based on what’s happening inside the body.
“Importantly, those biomarkers do not necessarily cause an outcome; when we find a biomarker associated with sooner or later mortality, we don’t know that it’s causing it,” Creevy said. “But if we understand why that biomarker is present, we may be able to identify what the cause of the relationship is.”
By identifying these patterns, researchers can begin to better understand the biological processes linked to aging — and identify potential targets for improving health over time.
Shared Patterns In Dogs And People
To determine whether the same kinds of metabolic signals appear in humans, researchers compared their findings in dogs with five large, published studies of human mortality that used similar metabolite-based approaches. In each case, the patterns linked to earlier or later death were similar.
The consistency across multiple human studies was one of the study’s most notable findings, reinforcing the idea that dogs and humans share fundamental aspects of aging biology.
“Frequently, we know a little more about this in people than we do in dogs,” Creevy said. “If we have the same targets, we’ll be able to leverage human research to benefit dogs.”
That overlap allows researchers to build on existing human research while using dogs to better understand how aging unfolds over time.
Dogs are especially useful for aging research because they share many aspects of daily life with people, including environment, diet, and activity levels. Those shared experiences make it easier to understand how lifestyle influences long-term health.
“One of the things we like most about learning from dogs as it pertains to aging is their widely varied lifestyles that mirror their owners’ lifestyles in a way that’s less true for other companion animals,” Creevy said.
For example, cats tend to have more consistent, independent lifestyles, while dogs tend to reflect their owners’ daily routines more closely.
Dogs’ shorter lifespans also allow researchers to study aging much quicker than would be possible in humans, because while humans, on average, live into their 70s, dogs, on average, live only 12-13 years, giving researchers an opportunity to observe comparable outcomes in dogs in a fraction of the time.
Made Possible By The Dog Aging Project
The study was made possible through the Dog Aging Project, a nationwide, long-term study of pet dogs living with owners across the United States. Participating owners share detailed information about their dogs’ lives, and a subset provide annual biological samples, giving researchers a unique opportunity to study aging over time.
“The owners who enroll their dogs make everything possible,” Creevy said. “The dedication and commitment of these owners to participate in research and discovery to better the health of dogs is remarkable.”
Creevy said the findings represent an important step in understanding the biology of aging, helping researchers move from identifying patterns to exploring what may be driving them.
“This is a starting point,” she said. “We’ve identified these metabolites, and now we know where to start looking.”
For dog owners, Creevy said the takeaway is simple: many of the habits that support healthy aging in people are likely just as important for dogs.
“Keeping them on a healthy diet, at a healthy body weight, and preserving mobility and cognitive health — just like we would do for ourselves,” Creevy said. “What’s good for us is probably good for them.”
Texas A&M activities of the Dog Aging Project are supported by Anthony Wood ’87 and his wife, Susan ‘89 through the WoodNext TAMU Fund, a fund of a donor-advised fund program. Guided by the Woods’ overall mission to advance human progress and remove obstacles to a fulfilling life, the WoodNext Foundation makes grants and investments in areas including scientific and biomedical research, mental health, homelessness, education, nature conservation, disaster recovery and economic opportunity.
The Dog Aging Project is additionally supported by the National Institute on Aging (U19 grant AG057377, PI Daniel Promislow), and by additional grants and private donations, including generous support from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, Tiny Foundation Fund at Myriad Canada, and the Dog Aging Institute.
