Georges Janssens et al. published a paper “A conserved complex lipid signature marks human muscle aging and responds to short-term exercise” in Nature Aging in February 2024

Studies in preclinical models suggest that complex lipids, such as phospholipids, play a role in the regulation of longevity. However, identification of universally conserved complex lipid changes that occur during aging, and how these respond to interventions, is lacking. Here, to comprehensively map how complex lipids change during aging, they profiled ten tissues in young versus aged mice using a lipidomics platform. Strikingly, from >1,200 unique lipids, they found a tissue-wide accumulation of bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP) during mouse aging. To investigate translational value, they assessed muscle tissue of young and older people, and found a similar marked BMP accumulation in the human aging lipidome. Furthermore, they found that a healthy-aging intervention consisting of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was able to lower BMP levels in postmenopausal female research participants. Their work implicates complex lipid biology as central to aging, identifying a conserved aging lipid signature of BMP accumulation that is modifiable upon a short-term healthy-aging intervention.