AgingNCT00233272
Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
An observational study of Aging, run by National Institute on Aging (NIA) at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Background: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is a clinical research program on human aging that began in 1958. Volunteers of different ages join the study when they are healthy, and have follow-up visits for life. Visits last for multiple days. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 to 120 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Aging
- How many people
- 10,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Feb 2014to not given
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 20 to 120 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Healthy volunteers 20 years of age or older.
Who may be able to join
- These criteria pertain to the Screening Visit and Visit 1. If any of these conditions develop after this time, the participant remains in the study. In particular, participants who develop cognitive, motor or psychiatric conditions are retained in the study, although they are excluded from specific testing in which their underlying health condition is an exclusion criteria. Participants that refuse genetic testing and storage at Visit 1 will not be eligible to participate in the study.
- Age greater than or equal to 20 years of age
- Weigh less than or equal to 300lbs and/or body mass index (BMI) is less than or equal to 40
- Do not have established genetic diseases
- Are able to perform daily self- care without assistance
- Are able to walk independently for at least 400 meters without assistance and without developing symptoms
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- Are able to perform normal activities of daily living without shortness of breath (walking or climbing stairs)
- Do not have cognitive impairment based on screening tests and in the absence of any drug treatment
- Do not have a history of cardiovascular disease (including angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular diseases, uncontrolled hypertension)
- Do not have a history of diabetes (requiring any medical treatment other than diet and exercise)
- Do not have active (any activity in the last 10 years) cancer, except for locally limited basal or squamous cell cancer
- Do not have clinically significant hormonal dysfunction (Laboratory values out of range despite supplementation and/or drug treatment)
- Do not have a history of neurological diseases or birth defects (other than minor anatomical abnormalities, which do not affect physical and/or cognitive function)
- Do not have a history of kidney or liver disease (associated with reduced kidney or liver function)
- Do not have a history of severe gastrointestinal (G.I.) diseases
- Do not have muscle-skeletal conditions due to diseases or traumas (that cause pathological weakness and/or chronic pain)
- Do not have a history of severe psychiatric conditions (associated with behavioral problems or requiring chronic medical treatment)
- Do not have any medical condition that requires absolute and continuous need for long term treatment with antibiotics, corticosteroids, immunosuppressors, H2 blockers and/or proton pump inhibitors, or pain medications
- Do not have important sensory deficits (legally blind and/or any condition that precludes the participant from being tested with standard neuropsychological tests or providing informed consent)
- Able to read and speak English
- Do not have joint replacements due to arthritic changes (joint replacements due to previous trauma are ok) or do not have 2 or more joint replacements for any reason
- Do not meet any exclusionary criteria for 3T MRI and agrees to perform the test
- Agree to genetic (DNA/RNA) sample collection, analysis, and storage at Visit 1
Who cannot join
- These criteria pertain to the Screening Visit and Visit 1. If conditions considered as exclusion criteria for study entry develop any time after the this, the participant remains in the study.
- HIV virus infection
- Hepatitis B or C
- Syphilis
- WBC > 12,000/mcrL
- Platelets < 100,000 or >600,000 /mcrL
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- Hemoglobin < 11 g/dL
- Creatinine >1.5 mg/dl or calculated creatinine clearance < 50 cc/min
- Bilirubin > 1.5 mg/dl (unless higher levels can be ascribed to Gilbert s disease)
- ALT, AST or alkaline phosphatase twice the normal serum concentration
- Corrected calcium < 8.5 or > 10.7 mg/dl
- Albumin < 3.1 g/dl
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
National Institute of Aging, Clinical Research Unit
Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
NIA Studies Recruitment, 410-350-3941, niastudiesrecruitment@mail.nih.gov
About this study
Official title: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)
Background:
- The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is a clinical research program on human aging that began in 1958. Volunteers of different ages join the study when they are healthy, and have follow-up visits for life. Visits last for multiple days. Participants are evaluated for many physical elements as well as for brain function. Physical tests are given. Information on mood, personality, and social aspects of life is also collected. This program has contributed more than any other research project to our understanding of aging.
Read more
Objectives:
- To characterize the many aspects of the aging process and learn how people can successfully adapt to aging.
Eligibility:
- Healthy individuals at least 20 years old.
Design:
- Participants will receive a booklet and video describing the tests they will take.
- During a 3-day visit at the study hospital, participants will take the following tests:
- Urine will be collected for 24 hours. Blood samples will be taken. A small piece of muscle tissue may be collected by a needle.
- A medical questionnaire and a physical exam will be given.
- Participants hearts will be tested, including with blood pressure tests and electronic monitors. They will breathe into a tube to test their lungs.
- Participants will perform several exercises, including treadmill walking.
- Vision, hearing, and taste will be tested.
- Bone and joint X-rays may be taken.
- Imaging tests will be given, such as an MRI.
- Participants will answer questions to test their mental abilities.
- Participants will return for follow-up visits every few years for life. The tests listed above will be given at every visit.
Read the detailed description
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is the NIA's major clinical research program in human aging that has been conducted in Baltimore since 1958. The study population is a series of healthy volunteers of different ages followed indefinitely with serial evaluations over time. The major aim of the study is to characterize the aging process in its multifaceted aspects. To accomplish this task, a large cohort of volunteers dispersed over a wide age range are enrolled in the study when they are healthy and then followed with regular follow-up visits for life. Since the aging process involves the whole range of physiological domains, participants receive an extensive evaluation of physiological parameters, biomarkers, risk factors, disease-related measures, impairments, and physical and cognitive function over follow-up visits that last for multiple days. Blood samples and other specimens are collected to obtain part of these measures and/or to be stored for future use. Information on mood, personality, psychological and social aspects of life that are relevant to the study of aging is also collected. Information collected in the BLSA represents a unique source of longitudinal data on aging. Historically the BLSA has contributed more than any other research project to our understanding of aging. More recently, the BLSA has begun to focus on factors associated with exceptionally healthy aging.
- Conditions
- Aging
- Keywords
- Frailty, Disease Processes, Natural History
- Medical subject headings
- Frailty
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Volunteers | Healthy volunteers over a wide age-range |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
The major aim of the BLSA is to characterize the aging process in its multifaceted aspects.
Characterization of the aging process
Measured: Ongoing
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Oct 2005 (estimated)
- Study start3 Feb 2014
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AgingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 10,000 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Principal investigator, National Institute on Aging (NIA)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00233272
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 030325
- Other IDs
- 03-AG-0325
- Status last verified
- 21 Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Oct 2005
- Last updated
- 1 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: There is ongoing discussion within the NIA IRP and a plan has not been finalized yet.
Publications
Chia CW, Odetunde JO, Kim W, Carlson OD, Ferrucci L, Egan JM. GIP contributes to islet trihormonal abnormalities in type 2 diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Jul;99(7):2477-85. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-3994. Epub 2014 Apr 8.
PubMed 24712564
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00233272
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 030325
- Conditions
- Aging
- Keywords
- Frailty, Disease Processes, Natural History
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 10,000 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- 3 Feb 2014 (actual)
- First posted
- 5 Oct 2005 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Background:
- The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is a clinical research program on human aging that began in 1958. Volunteers of different ages join the study when they are healthy, and have follow-up visits for life. Visits last for multiple days. Participants are evaluated for many physical elements as well as for brain function. Physical tests are given. Information on mood, personality, and social aspects of life is also collected. This program has contributed more than any other research project to our understanding of aging.
Objectives:
- To characterize the many aspects of the aging process and learn how people can successfully adapt to aging.
Eligibility:
- Healthy individuals at least 20 years old.
Design:
- Participants will receive a booklet and video describing the tests they will take.
- During a 3-day visit at the study hospital, participants will take the following tests:
- Urine will be collected for 24 hours. Blood samples will be taken. A small piece of muscle tissue may be collected by a needle.
- A medical questionnaire and a physical exam will be given.
- Participants hearts will be tested, including with blood pressure tests and electronic monitors. They will breathe into a tube to test their lungs.
- Participants will perform several exercises, including treadmill walking.
- Vision, hearing, and taste will be tested.
- Bone and joint X-rays may be taken.
- Imaging tests will be given, such as an MRI.
- Participants will answer questions to test their mental abilities.
- Participants will return for follow-up visits every few years for life. The tests listed above will be given at every visit.
Detailed description
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is the NIA's major clinical research program in human aging that has been conducted in Baltimore since 1958. The study population is a series of healthy volunteers of different ages followed indefinitely with serial evaluations over time. The major aim of the study is to characterize the aging process in its multifaceted aspects. To accomplish this task, a large cohort of volunteers dispersed over a wide age range are enrolled in the study when they are healthy and then followed with regular follow-up visits for life. Since the aging process involves the whole range of physiological domains, participants receive an extensive evaluation of physiological parameters, biomarkers, risk factors, disease-related measures, impairments, and physical and cognitive function over follow-up visits that last for multiple days. Blood samples and other specimens are collected to obtain part of these measures and/or to be stored for future use. Information on mood, personality, psychological and social aspects of life that are relevant to the study of aging is also collected. Information collected in the BLSA represents a unique source of longitudinal data on aging. Historically the BLSA has contributed more than any other research project to our understanding of aging. More recently, the BLSA has begun to focus on factors associated with exceptionally healthy aging.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Volunteers | – | –Healthy volunteers over a wide age-range |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 to 120 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Healthy volunteers 20 years of age or older.
Key inclusion criteria (23 listed)
- These criteria pertain to the Screening Visit and Visit 1. If any of these conditions develop after this time, the participant remains in the study. In particular, participants who develop cognitive, motor or psychiatric conditions are retained in the study, although they are excluded from specific testing in which their underlying health condition is an exclusion criteria. Participants that refuse genetic testing and storage at Visit 1 will not be eligible to participate in the study.
- Age greater than or equal to 20 years of age
- Weigh less than or equal to 300lbs and/or body mass index (BMI) is less than or equal to 40
- Do not have established genetic diseases
- Are able to perform daily self- care without assistance
Key exclusion criteria (12 listed)
- These criteria pertain to the Screening Visit and Visit 1. If conditions considered as exclusion criteria for study entry develop any time after the this, the participant remains in the study.
- HIV virus infection
- Hepatitis B or C
- Syphilis
- WBC > 12,000/mcrL
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
The major aim of the BLSA is to characterize the aging process in its multifaceted aspects.
Time frame: Ongoing
Characterization of the aging process
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Sep 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 24712564Chia CW, Odetunde JO, Kim W, Carlson OD, Ferrucci L, Egan JM. GIP contributes to islet trihormonal abnormalities in type 2 diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Jul;99(7):2477-85. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-3994. Epub 2014 Apr 8.
- NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web PageLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. There is ongoing discussion within the NIA IRP and a plan has not been finalized yet.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Luigi Ferrucci, M.D. principal investigator
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Aging, run by National Institute on Aging (NIA) at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 23 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jeannie M Ruffolo, R.N. ((410) 350-7389, ruffolojm@mail.nih.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
The major aim of the BLSA is to characterize the aging process in its multifaceted aspects. (time frame: Ongoing). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00233272, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Sep 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 1 Nov 2026.