Study: Autophagy Changes With Age Differ by Cell Type and Sex

Research published in Aging Cell found that autophagy does not uniformly decline with age: it fell in skin cells from men, stayed stable in women's skin cells, and rose in induced neurons from women. In participants over 70, higher autophagy correlated with worse physical function.

• Autophagy declined with age in men's skin cells but not in women's
• Induced neurons from women showed increased autophagy with age
• Participants 70+ with higher autophagy had worse physical function
• Autophagy gene expression did not reflect actual recycling rates