The following is a summary of a story that originally appeared on the School of Medicine website. Photos by Eamon Queeney.
Last week’s "Metabolism and Health Across the Lifespan" symposium at Duke highlighted a wide range of ongoing research aimed at understanding how metabolism influences aging, chronic disease, and overall health. Several speakers discussed methods for measuring biological aging, how factors like exercise, fat tissue function, and mitochondrial fitness affect health over time, and the biology behind GLP-1 drugs used in diabetes and weight-management therapies. Three of the featured presenters—Terrie Moffitt, Herman Pontzer, and Heather Whitson—are DUPRI scholars, bringing population science perspectives to metabolic and aging research.
Researchers also shared findings on neurobiology, energy use, and the connection between metabolism and conditions such as heart disease and neurodegeneration. The event underscored metabolism as a central factor linking diverse scientific fields and a promising target for extending both lifespan and "health span"—the period of life spent in good health.
To read more, go to the School of Medicine website.