Dogs and Humans Are More Alike Than We Thought: Study Finds Common Signals of Aging

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New research from the Dog Aging Project reveals that biological signals linked to lifespan in humans also appear in dogs, offering insights into shared aging mechanisms between the species. The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology, analyzed metabolites—small molecules produced during bodily processes—and found patterns associated with early or late death in dogs that mirror those observed in humans.

Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer for the Dog Aging Project and a professor at Texas A&M University, emphasized the significance of the findings. “The molecules that are risky for dogs or protective against a sooner death are very similar to those in people, showing that we share important features of aging biology,” she said. The research highlights dogs as a valuable model for studying long-term health and lifespan, given their shared environments, diets, and lifestyles with humans.

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What are metabolites and why do they matter?
Metabolites reflect cellular activity and can reveal patterns linked to health outcomes. In the study, researchers examined blood samples from dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, a community science initiative where owners submit detailed data and biological samples over a dog’s lifetime. By analyzing these samples, scientists identified metabolic patterns associated with mortality.

“Death is an easy outcome to understand,” Creevy noted. “It is very easy to tell when a person or a dog has died, whereas other features of aging health are a bit more nuanced.” Starting with this clear endpoint allows researchers to trace back biological processes, such as metabolism, inflammation, or stress responses, that influence aging.

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How do dogs compare to humans in aging research?
The study found consistency between metabolic signals in dogs and humans. Researchers compared their findings to five large human studies using similar metabolite-based approaches, discovering overlapping patterns linked to earlier or later death. This alignment suggests dogs and humans share fundamental aging biology, according to Creevy.

“This consistency across multiple human studies was one of the study’s most notable findings,” she said. The overlap allows scientists to leverage existing human research while using dogs to study aging dynamics over time. Dogs’ shorter lifespans—average 12–13 years compared to humans’ 70s—enable faster observation of aging outcomes, accelerating research timelines.

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Why are dogs ideal for aging studies?
Dogs share many aspects of daily life with humans, including environmental exposures, dietary habits, and activity levels. This similarity makes them a unique model for understanding how lifestyle factors influence long-term health. “Dogs’ widely varied lifestyles mirror their owners’ routines in a way that’s less true for other companion animals,” Creevy explained.

For example, cats tend to have more independent lifestyles, while dogs often reflect their owners’ schedules. This dynamic allows researchers to study how shared experiences, such as diet or exercise, impact aging. Additionally, the Dog Aging Project’s nationwide data collection—gathering information from dogs across the U.S.—provides a diverse sample for analysis.

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What are the implications for health and research?
The findings could help identify biological targets for improving healthspan in both species. By understanding metabolite patterns linked to mortality, scientists may develop interventions to delay aging-related decline. However, Creevy cautioned that biomarkers identified in the study do not necessarily cause health outcomes.

“Importantly, those biomarkers do not necessarily cause an outcome; when we find a biomarker associated with sooner or later mortality, we don’t know that it’s causing it,” she said. “But if we understand why that biomarker is present, we may be able to identify what the cause of the relationship is.”

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What does this mean for dog owners?
Creevy emphasized that many habits supporting healthy aging in humans likely apply to dogs. “Keeping them on a healthy diet, at a healthy body weight, and preserving mobility and cognitive health—just like we would do for ourselves,” she said.

The study also underscores the role of dog owners in advancing research. “The dedication and commitment of these owners to participate in research and discovery to better the health of dogs is remarkable,” Creevy said. Their contributions enable long-term studies that would be impractical in humans due to lifespan differences.

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What’s next for aging research?
The Dog Aging Project aims to build on these findings by exploring the biological mechanisms driving metabolite patterns. Researchers plan to investigate how lifestyle factors, genetics, and environmental exposures interact to influence aging.

Creevy described the study as a starting point. “We’ve identified these metabolites, and now we know where to start looking,” she said. Future work may focus on translating these insights into interventions for both dogs and humans, leveraging the shared biology uncovered in the research.

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“The molecules that are risky for dogs or protective against a sooner death are very similar to those in people, showing that we share important features of aging biology.”
SourceKate Creevy, chief veterinary officer for the Dog Aging Project and professor at Texas A&M University

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“Death is an easy outcome to understand… whereas other features of aging health are a bit more nuanced.”
SourceKate Creevy

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“What’s good for us is probably good for them.”
SourceKate Creevy