Cardiac aging, like aging in general, is a complex process involving numerous cellular and molecular changes, which along the way contribute to the expression of the multiple phenotypes of aging, "the different faces" of cardiac aging. Several plausible theories have been considered to explain aging, e.g., evolution, free radical, somatic mutation, etc; and at this time it is most likely that these different theories are intertwined with each other without a definitive "winner", reflecting a mixture of genetic and epigenetic elements found in most aged individuals with cardiovascular defects. The demonstration in numerous animal models of the dramatic alterations in life-span achieved by gene engineering or dietary modifications, such as caloric restriction, further underscores the interplay of both genetic and environmental factors involved in aging, as well as acting through molecular and signaling pathways operative in the heart and the vasculature. Aging and decreasing heart function occurring together has been amply documented, and our knowledge of age associated cardiac pathologies has outpaced our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying these processes. At present, genomics, proteomics and recombinant DNA techniques are increasingly applied to the study of cardiac cell structure and function. Their role in aging, in general, and in the aging heart, in particular, will finally be unveiled. With the availability of the Human Genome Project, and an ever increasing number of animal models and new and exciting molecular technologies, the unraveling of the underlying basic mechanisms of cardiac aging have already begun. In this book, the genetic and molecular basis of cardiovascular aging will be discussed and a comprehensive assessment of the bioenergetics changes occurring in human and animal models of cardiac aging, current diagnostic and future therapeutic modalities will be presented. In this book, the genetic and molecular basis of cardiovascular aging is examined in detail and a comprehensive assessment given of the bioenergetics changes occurring in human and animal models of cardiac aging. Cardiac aging, like aging in general, is a complex process involving numerous cellular and molecular changes. Part I Introduction to a Post-Genomic View of Aging and the Aging Heart Post-Genomic View of Aging: Definitions, Theories and Observations 3(30) Overview 3(1) Definitions 4(1) Longevity 4(1) Gene-Longevity Association Studies 4(4) Longevity Genes from Model Systems 8(4) Theories of Aging 12(12) Evolutionary Theories 12(2) Molecular/Genome Mutations/Deletions Theory 14(2) Wear-and Tear- Theories 16(1) FRTA 16(3) Cross-Linkage Theory 19(1) DNA-Repair Theory 19(1) Cellular Garbage Theory 19(1) The Membrane Theory of Aging 19(1) The Hayflick Theory 19(1) Reliability Theory 19(1) Neuro-Endocrine/Immunological Theory 20(1) Hormesis and Aging 21(1) Gender Issues in Aging 21(1) Advances on Aging and the Genome 22(2) Epidemiology/Human Populations 24(2) Population Aging 24(1) Modifying/ Delaying Aging 25(1) Is Aging Reversible? 26(1) References 26(7) Overview of Cardiovascular Aging 33(38) Overview 33(1) Introduction 33(1)