People living with HIV age faster, but antiretroviral therapy can help: New study
Sarah Bodeni | April 20, 2026
It’s well established that HIV speeds up the aging process, possibly due to chronic inflammation. But antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow down and possibly even reverse aging caused by an infection, according to new research presented in Munich at the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).
Researchers estimated biological age by developing a tool called the proteomic aging clock (PAC,) which analyzes protein patterns in blood plasma to estimate a person’s biological age.
Using PAC, the study examined the plasma of people with HIV. They looked at samples from patients, both when they had detected levels of HIV in their blood but had yet to begin ART, and then when their infections were undetectable owing to treatment.
HIV can accelerate biological age by 10 years
Researchers found that when HIV was untreated, participants’ biological age was accelerated by a median of 10 years. But after a median duration of 1.55 years of ART, they documented a statistically significant mean reduction of 3.7 years in proteomic age. The analysis found that a person’s proteomic age continued to move closer to their chronological age the longer they were on ART. Researchers say this suggests ongoing biological recovery with sustained treatment.
“This research demonstrates the importance of early start and optimal adherence to ART," Barry Ryan, PhD, a scientist at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne and the study’s lead author, said in an ESCMID press release.
Contact:
Jim Wappes
jwappes@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
Source: CIDRAP - University of Minnesota
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/hivaids/people-living-hiv-age-faster-antiretroviral-therapy-can-help-new-study
"Reproduced with permission - University of Minnesota"
University of Minnesota
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