Approved Research

Association between long-term medication use and ageing

Lay summary

Long-term medication use may affect how we age. We will examine how commonly used medicines, such as those used to treat chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, are associated with biological indicators of age. Biological indicators of age such as laboratory tests, genetic markers, imaging, and physical measures can be used to tell if a person's body is older or younger than their actual or chronological age.

For this study we are utilising UK Biobank data to examine participants who have used specific medicines and how this relates to biological indicators of aging compare to their chronological age. We will also compare how different medicines used to treat the same condition may differ in terms of their association with biological indicators of aging. Having a good understanding of the long-term impacts of different medicines on ageing is important to ensure the health of people treated with these medicines, especially as many countries continue to see an increasing aging population.