Medical Oddities: Dogs share our mortality markers

The bond with dogs runs deeper, the brain enjoys a good sweat, love on screen gets real, and tea carries a little more weight.

1

Dogs share biochemical mortality markers with humans, as shown in a study analyzing 133 plasma metabolites in 937 companion dogs.
2

Seventeen percent of the metabolites studied were linked to all-cause mortality, with 23 meeting statistical significance.
3

In a follow-up period averaging 2.6 years, 104 dogs died, allowing for a quicker mortality analysis compared to human studies.
4

Mortality associations for overlapping metabolites were consistent between dogs and humans 64% of the time across five studies.
5

Specific metabolites linked to mortality in both species include higher pseudouridine and lower deoxycarnitine, indicating shared aging biology.

1