Nope, every dog year isn't equal to 7 human years, researchers now say

ever wonder how old your dog is in human years Before now, the general assumption was one dog year equals seven human years. But a study in the journal Cell Systems found your furry friend is a lot older than you may think. Researchers at UC San Diego studied 100 and four Labrador retrievers ranging from weeks old puppies to 16 year old dogs and compared canine Inhumans changing chemical marks on their DNA called methylation marks. They say this is like guessing someone's age, based on wrinkles, grey hair and other facial features. But on a molecular level, it revealed a new formula for calculating dogs ages in human years, since the age more quickly at first and slower later in life. The findings show an eight week old puppy is roughly the same as a nine month old baby. A one year old dog is like a 30 year old human, and a four year old dog is similar to a 52 year old human. And after they turned seven, aging slows. Researchers say this data could develop a clock that measures canines ages, helping veterinarians take proactive steps in treating animals

How do you compare a dog's age to that of a person? A popular method says you should multiply the dog's age by 7 to compute how old Fido is in "human years."But new research published Thursday in the Cell Systems journal debunks that method. And that's because the scientists behind a new study say dogs and humans don't age at the same rate.Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new formula that takes into account that variance. Tracking molecular changes in the DNA of Labrador retrievers, and in particular "the changing patterns of methyl groups" in their genome, according to a release, the study shows how dogs age at a much faster rate than humans early in their lives, then slow down after reaching maturity."This makes sense when you think about it — after all, a nine-month-old dog can have puppies, so we already knew that the 1:7 ratio wasn't an accurate measure of age," lead author Trey Ideker is quoted as saying.Based on the study, a one-year-old dog compares to a 30-year-old human, a four-year-old dog to a 52-year-old human. The rate of aging decreases after dogs turn 7.The new formula "is the first that is transferable across species," and scientists plan to test their findings on other dog breeds to study the impact of longevity on their findings, according to a release.Researchers also believe that observing changes in the methylation patterns before and after the use of anti-aging products could help veterinarians make more informed decisions in terms of diagnostics and treatment.A graphic in the study makes the age comparisons intuitive and provides some helpful context for dog owners, including the scientists themselves."I have a six-year-old dog — she still runs with me, but I'm now realizing that she's not as 'young' as I thought she was," Ideker is quoted as saying.

How do you compare a dog's age to that of a person? A popular method says you should multiply the dog's age by 7 to compute how old Fido is in "human years."

But new research published Thursday in the Cell Systems journal debunks that method. And that's because the scientists behind a new study say dogs and humans don't age at the same rate.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new formula that takes into account that variance. Tracking molecular changes in the DNA of Labrador retrievers, and in particular "the changing patterns of methyl groups" in their genome, according to a release, the study shows how dogs age at a much faster rate than humans early in their lives, then slow down after reaching maturity.

"This makes sense when you think about it — after all, a nine-month-old dog can have puppies, so we already knew that the 1:7 ratio wasn't an accurate measure of age," lead author Trey Ideker is quoted as saying.

Based on the study, a one-year-old dog compares to a 30-year-old human, a four-year-old dog to a 52-year-old human. The rate of aging decreases after dogs turn 7.

The new formula "is the first that is transferable across species," and scientists plan to test their findings on other dog breeds to study the impact of longevity on their findings, according to a release.

Researchers also believe that observing changes in the methylation patterns before and after the use of anti-aging products could help veterinarians make more informed decisions in terms of diagnostics and treatment.

A graphic in the study makes the age comparisons intuitive and provides some helpful context for dog owners, including the scientists themselves.

"I have a six-year-old dog — she still runs with me, but I'm now realizing that she's not as 'young' as I thought she was," Ideker is quoted as saying.

Nope, every dog year isn't equal to 7 human years, researchers now say

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