ABSTRACT
Aging is characterized by the accumulation of macromolecular damage, which leads to the accumulation of functional deficits. People are living longer lives, but persons with the same chronological age display considerable heterogeneity in their accumulation of deficits. In older adults, low selenium (Se) status has been associated with frailty and decreased muscle strength, but, to date, no studies have examined whether Se status significantly influences the lethality of frailty. Frailty index (FI) operationalizes frailty as the proportion of health deficits present in each individual, providing vital insights into the aging process and its consequences in terms of mortality risk and healthy life expectancy. FI was constructed assessing accumulation of 34 deficits using information from personal interviews with dog owners, validated through veterinary examination. In females, longer duration of endogenous ovary exposure buffered the adverse impact of deficit accumulation on mortality. An increase in functional deficit accumulation in canine centenarians was associated with increased mortality risk.
