DNA methylation (DNAm) overwrites information about multiple extrinsic factors on the genome. Age is one of these factors. Age causes characteristic DNAm changes that are thought to be not only major drivers of normal ageing but also precursors to diseases, cancer being one of these. Although there is still much to learn about the relationship between ageing, age-related diseases and DNAm, we now know how to interpret some of the effects caused by age in the form of changes in methylation marks at specific loci. In fact, these changes form the basis of the so called “epigenetic clocks”, which translate the genomic methylation profile into an “epigenetic age”. Epigenetic age does not only estimate chronological age but can also predict the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. Epigenetic age is believed to be one of the most accurate metrics of biological age. Initial evidence has recently been gathered pointing to the possibility that the rate of epigenetic ageing can be slowed down or even reversed. In this review, we discuss some of the most relevant advances in this field. Expected outcome is that this approach can provide insights into how to preserve health and reduce the impact of ageing diseases in humans.

DNA 甲基化 (DNAm) 会覆盖有关基因组上多个外在因素的信息。年龄是这些因素之一。年龄会导致特征性的 DNAm 变化，这些变化被认为不仅是正常衰老的主要驱动因素，也是疾病的前兆，癌症就是其中之一。尽管关于衰老、与年龄相关的疾病和 DNAm 之间的关系还有很多需要了解，但我们现在知道如何以特定基因座甲基化标记变化的形式解释年龄引起的一些影响. 事实上，这些变化构成了所谓的“表观遗传时钟”的基础，它将基因组甲基化谱转化为“表观遗传年龄”。表观遗传年龄不仅可以估计实际年龄，还可以预测慢性病和死亡率的风险。表观遗传年龄被认为是最准确的生物学年龄指标之一。最近收集到的初步证据表明，表观遗传衰老的速度可能会减慢甚至逆转。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了该领域的一些最相关的进展。预期结果是，这种方法可以提供有关如何保护健康和减少衰老疾病对人类影响的见解。