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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access originally published online on February 10, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2009 64A(1):1-8; doi:10.1093/gerona/gln051
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Health-Related Phenotypes and Longevity in Danish Twins

Alexander M. Kulminski1,2, Konstantin G. Arbeev1,2, Irina V. Culminskaya1,2, Svetlana V. Ukraintseva1,2, Kaare Christensen3 and Anatoli I. Yashin1,2

1 Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University Population Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
2 Department of Sociology, Duke University, Trent Hall, Durham, North Carolina
3 Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

Address correspondence to Alexander Kulminski, PhD, Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Trent Hall, Room 002, Box 90408, Durham, NC 27708. Email: alexander.kulminski{at}duke.edu


  Abstract

Aging studies can be facilitated by refocusing from longevity phenotypes to their proxies (intermediate phenotypes). Robust selection of the intermediate phenotypes requires data on such phenotypes and life span measured in the same individuals, which is not always the case in aging studies. A promising approach is to select intermediate phenotypes using information on longevity measured in related individuals. We evaluated feasibility of this approach focusing on 32 geriatric diseases as potential intermediate phenotypes of longevity assessed in the Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins. Our analyses reveal that geriatric diseases measured in some family members can predict life span in the other family members both individually and cumulatively ensuring that this approach for selection of intermediate phenotypes is feasible. The cumulative-trait approach is more promising for such studies compared with the individual-trait approach. Heritable health dimensions contributing to a decrease of life span have sex-insensitive and sex-specific components.

Keywords ; Twins; Heritability of longevity; Longevity phenotypes; Endophenotypes

Received: July 7, 2008; Accepted: September 22, 2008

Decision Editor: Huber R. Warner, PhD


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