Apparent accelerated aging of human collagen in diabetes mellitus.

The chronologic ages of human subjects were determined experimentally by enzymatic digestion of tendon collagen samples. Determined age closely matched actual age for individuals dying with a variety of major diseases. Juvenile diabetics did not fit this pattern; their experimentally determined ages were significantly greater than their actual ages. This raises the possibility of relationships between diabetes mellitus, changes in connective tissue, and accelerated aging.