Narrative review of hormetic stress responses in aging, from molecular pathways to clinical translation
This narrative review describes low-dose stressors as activators of adaptive cellular responses and discusses molecular pathways, lifestyle and pharmacological stimuli, biomarkers and limits of translating hormesis to aging. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The review describes low-dose stressors, called hormetic stimuli, as activating adaptive cellular responses that enhance stress resistance, promote repair and ultimately extend healthspan. [1]
The review examines lifestyle interventions including physical exercise, caloric restriction and mild thermal stress, and emerging pharmacological agents, as inducers of beneficial adaptive responses. [1]
The authors propose a multilevel framework integrating molecular mechanisms with clinical outcomes and position hormesis as a key determinant of adaptive resilience in aging. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Narrative review (abstract only)
- Population / context
- Aging biology and age-related disease, as discussed in a narrative review
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- April 20, 2026
Review scope: hormesis and aging pathways
The authors describe aging as a progressive decline in physiological resilience and increased susceptibility to chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. They report emerging evidence that low-dose stressors, collectively called hormetic stimuli, activate adaptive cellular responses that enhance stress resistance, promote repair and ultimately extend healthspan. The review focuses on nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), sirtuins, autophagy and mitohormesis.
Supporting source [1]
Lifestyle and drug stimuli, neurodegeneration focus
The review examines how lifestyle interventions — physical exercise, caloric restriction and mild thermal stress — and emerging pharmacological agents induce beneficial adaptive responses. It critically evaluates their translational potential in clinical and public health settings. Special emphasis is placed on hormesis in counteracting neurodegeneration and on autophagy and systemic aging biomarkers, namely epigenetic clocks and inflammaging scores, for precision dosing.
Supporting source [1]
Proposed framework and stated limits
The authors name limitations: inter-individual variability, age-related decline in adaptive capacity and risks of overexposure. They stress that understanding the balance between beneficial and detrimental stress responses is essential for using hormesis against aging and age-related diseases. They further propose a multilevel framework integrating molecular mechanisms with clinical outcomes, positioning hormesis as a key determinant of adaptive resilience in aging. This is a proposal, not a validated clinical tool.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract of a narrative review; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract reports no study design details, sample, follow-up or outcome data, and the proposed framework is not described as validated.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Alves Ferreira JM, Tukaiev S. · europepmc.org · April 20, 2026