ISLAMABAD, FEB 05 (ONLINE): Chronological age refers to how many years we have been alive, while biological age is how old your cells and organs are.
\nExperts suggest that the biological age of the whole person, or of individual organs, is a better indicator of health and aging than chronological age.
\nNow, a study has found that a blood test that detects the biological age of organs can predict the risk of health conditions developing many years later.
\nThe researchers suggest that this type of test could be crucial in helping to predict and prevent many diseases, including heart disease and some cancers.
\nResearchers think about a person\u2019s age in two different ways:<\/p>\n
chronological age is the number of years since a person\u2019s birth and is the age a person identifies with
\nbiological age is a measure of how old the cells and organs are, and it can vary widely from a person\u2019s chronological age, depending on their genetics and lifestyle.
\nBiological age can also vary within a person, with some organs biologically older than others.<\/p>\n
Chronological aging is linear, and cannot be accelerated or delayed. However, biological aging may be faster or slower than chronological aging, depending on genetics and environmental factors.<\/p>\n
The difference between the two measures is often referred to as an age gap. A negative age gap, with biological age less than chronological age, represents healthy or delayed aging, whereas a positive age gap indicates that a person is aging faster than expected.<\/p>\n
Now, a team led by researchers at University College London in the United kingdom has found that a blood test to detect the biological age of organs can predict the risk of health conditions years, or even decades later.<\/p>\n
Their study, published in The Lancet Digital HealthTrusted Source, found that faster aging of a specific organ increases the likelihood of diseases affecting the whole body.<\/p>\n
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, who was not involved in this research, explained for Medical News Today that<\/p>\n
\u201cThis long-term observational study found an association between \u2018organ age\u2019 as assessed by the level of various proteins in the blood, and future risk of developing different diseases. This type of analysis could potentially provide a method of risk stratification in order to help address and hopefully modify someone\u2019s chance of developing a certain disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blood test can measure biological age of organs
\nThe researchers recruited 6,235 adults from the Whitehall II study of U.K. government employees. They assessed their health from electronic health records at baseline and at follow up 20 years later.<\/p>\n
All participants gave blood samples between April 1997 and January 1999, when they were aged between 45 and 69 years old. Researchers then carried out proteomic analysisTrusted Source to identify all the proteins in the plasma of these blood samples.<\/p>\n
From these protein data, they identified age gaps in nine different organs or organ systems \u2014 the arteries, brain, heart, immune system, intestine, kidney, live, lung, and pancreas \u2014 as well as for the whole person.<\/p>\n
Using these data, the researchers then looked at 45 age-related diseases, to determine whether age gaps in any organs affected the risk of developing these diseases.<\/p>\n
They noted that biological aging progressed at varying rates in different organs within the same individual, and that individuals with any fast-aging organ faced an increased risk of 30 out of the 45 age-related diseases examined.<\/p>\n
How organ age gaps may predict future disease
\nIndividuals who had larger organ age gaps were at risk for developing diseases later in life. For example, a higher heart-age gap was linked with a higher risk of heart disease later in life.<\/p>\n
However, the researchers also found that advanced aging in a specific organ increased the risk of multi organ illnesses, and that rapid aging in more than one organ increased the risk of disease in a single organ. And the effects of cellular aging were widespread, with faster-aging organs associated with greater mortality.<\/p>\n
Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, professor of public health at New Mexico State University, noot involved in this study, explained how organs might affect each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, the most interesting finding was on how aging of one organ affects disease probability and aging of other organs,\u201c he told MNT.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes some sense as these organ functions affect each other,\u201c Khubchandani added. \u201cAlso, there are shared immune, genetic, vascular, and inflammatory mechanisms. But, from a practice standpoint, these interrelationships will make preventive practice and therapy development challenging. Still, this was a much needed investigation with many novel findings.\u201d<\/p>\n
How is organ aging linked to neurodegeneration?
\nAge gaps observed within the immune system were strongly associated with later development of dementia, and a rapidly aging intestine was the strongest risk factor for Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
These findings reinforce earlier studies that have linked inflammatory markers in the blood with higher dementia risk, and a compromised intestinal barrierTrusted Source with Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe study interestingly found an association between proteins associated with inflammation, and future risk of dementia. This suggests a relationship between inflammatory processes and neurodegenerative disorders, something that should be the subject of further research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Cheng-Han Chen, MD<\/p>\n
Further research needed to verify potential
\nSpeaking to MNT, Sebnem Unluisler, Chief Longevity Officer and Genetic Engineer at the London Regenerative Institute in the U.K., who was likewise not involved in this research, noted that:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of blood test could be a game-changer in preventive medicine, particularly in longevity-focused healthcare. By identifying organ-specific aging early, clinicians could implement targeted interventions \u2014 such as lifestyle modifications, medications, or regenerative therapies \u2014 before disease manifests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study authors also emphasize that their research has limitations. As an observational study, it cannot prove causation, the cohort was, on the whole, healthier than the general population, and incidence rates of some diseases were low, so it was hard to confirm associations.<\/p>\n
Although tests like this could have great potential, there are issues to be overcome, as both Unluisler and Khubchandani told us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile promising, this test will need further validation and standardization before clinical implementation. Additionally, ethical considerations arise regarding how to counsel patients who learn their organs are aging prematurely \u2014 particularly in cases where interventions are limited. Nonetheless, this study highlights the growing potential of proteomics in longevity medicine and precision healthcare,\u201d Unluisler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is that aging has many markers with varying predictive abilities for mortality and morbidity. Another challenge is how widely these markers can be utilized by clinicians and be available for the general public to get their risk profiles measured (e.g. cost and access). Finally, while these developments in markers can help with precision medicine and newer medications, change in individual behaviors will also be required.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Jagdish Khubchandani,\u00a0PhD<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, FEB 05 (ONLINE): Chronological age refers to how many years we have been alive, while biological age is how old your cells and organs are. Experts suggest that the biological age of the whole person, or of individual organs, is a better indicator of […]<\/p>\n
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