Study Finds Dogs and Humans Share Biological Warning Signs Linked to Aging
Share your love
-Editorial
A study of 937 pet dogs has found that dogs and humans share biological markers associated with aging and the risk of death, providing new evidence that companion dogs may help researchers better understand the aging process in people.
Researchers with the Dog Aging Project analyzed blood samples from the dogs and focused on metabolites, small molecules produced by the body that can reflect how organs and other biological systems are functioning.
The findings, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A in 2025, showed a strong relationship between metabolites associated with mortality in humans and the same molecules in dogs.
The research was published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A under the title “Dogs and Humans Share Biomarkers of Mortality”.
Researchers found that some metabolic patterns associated with mortality in people appeared in dogs over a much shorter period. Changes that can take eight to 28 years to develop in humans were observed in dogs over roughly two to three years.
The accelerated timeline could make dogs useful for aging research, allowing scientists to observe biological changes over a period of years rather than decades.
Some of the strongest associations involved kidney function. Certain metabolites increased as kidney function declined, and similar changes were associated with a higher risk of death in both dogs and humans.
The study does not show that the metabolites cause aging, disease or death. Instead, it found that the molecules are associated with mortality and that similar patterns occur in both species.
The research is part of the Dog Aging Project, a long-term study of companion dogs as they age. Unlike laboratory animals raised in controlled environments, pet dogs live in homes and communities, experience different diets and lifestyles, develop many of the same age-related diseases as humans, and receive veterinary care.
Those similarities, combined with dogs’ shorter lifespans, make them a potentially valuable model for studying human aging.
Researchers said dogs can provide an opportunity to examine aging in real-world conditions while also allowing scientists to observe biological changes more quickly. The findings add to research suggesting that companion dogs can help bridge laboratory aging studies and research involving humans.
The study also highlights the potential value of following dogs over time. Information from health surveys, blood samples, and other measurements collected through the Dog Aging Project allows researchers to examine how biological changes correspond with health and longevity.
Researchers cautioned that findings in dogs cannot automatically be applied to humans. However, the similarities identified in the study suggest that the two species share important biological processes related to aging and mortality.
The researchers said continued study of companion dogs could help identify biological changes associated with declining health and provide additional clues about why some individuals remain healthier longer than others.
