Aging in most animals is an inevitable process that causes or is a result of physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes in the body, and has a strong influence on an organism's lifespan. Although advancement in medicine has allowed humans to live longer, the prevalence of age-associated medical complications is continuously burdening older adults worldwide. Current animal models used in research to study aging have provided novel information that has helped investigators understand the aging process; however, these models are limiting. Aging is a complex process that is regulated at multiple biological levels, and while a single manipulation in these models can provide information on a process, it is not enough to understand the global regulation of aging. Some mammalian hibernators live up to 9.8-times higher than their expected average lifespan, and new research attributes this increase to their ability to hibernate. A common theme amongst these mammalian hibernators is their ability to greatly reduce their metabolic rate to a fraction of their normal rate and initiate cytoprotective responses that enable their survival. Metabolic rate depression is strictly regulated at different biological levels in order to enable the animal to not only survive, but to also do so by relying mainly on their limited internal fuels. As such, understanding both the global and specific regulatory mechanisms used to promote survival during hibernation could, in theory, allow investigators to have a better understanding of the aging process. This can also allow pharmaceutical industries to find therapeutics that could delay or reverse age-associated medical complications and promote healthy aging and longevity in humans.

中文翻译：

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暂停时间：对冬眠的分子反应也可延长寿命。

在大多数动物中，衰老是不可避免的过程，它是机体发生生理，生化和分子变化的结果，或者对机体的寿命产生强烈影响。尽管医学的进步使人类的寿命更长，但与年龄相关的医学并发症的患病率仍在不断加重全世界老年人的负担。目前用于研究衰老的动物模型提供了新颖的信息，有助于研究人员了解衰老过程。但是，这些模型是有限的。衰老是一个复杂的过程，需要在多个生物学水平上进行调节，尽管这些模型中的单个操作可以提供有关过程的信息，但仅了解衰老的整体调控是不够的。一些哺乳动物的冬眠者可以活到9岁。比预期的平均寿命高8倍，新的研究将其增加归因于其冬眠能力。这些哺乳动物冬眠者中的一个共同主题是它们能够将其代谢速率大大降低至正常速率的一小部分，并启动能够使其存活的细胞保护反应的能力。严格控制不同生物水平的代谢率，以使动物不仅能够生存，而且还可以通过主要依靠其有限的内部燃料来生存。因此，理论上，了解用于促进冬眠期间存活的全球和特定调控机制可以使研究者对衰老过程有更好的了解。