A new study suggests that measuring the biological age of individual organs through a blood test could help predict future health conditions such as heart disease and dementia. This approach offers a better understanding of aging than traditional chronological age.
Chronological age refers to the number of years a person has been alive, while biological age is a measure of how old a person’s cells and organs are. Experts believe that biological age, which can vary significantly from chronological age due to genetics and lifestyle choices, is a more accurate reflection of health.
Biological age can differ within an individual. For instance, one organ might be biologically younger than others. This difference, referred to as an “age gap,” indicates how well or poorly an organ is aging. A negative age gap suggests healthier or slower aging, while a positive gap signals faster aging.
A team of researchers from University College London, led by Professor Cheng-Han Chen, MD, discovered that tracking the biological age of organs via a blood test can predict the risk of various diseases years or even decades before they develop. The study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, found that faster aging of specific organs could increase the likelihood of a person developing chronic conditions later in life.
Dr. Chen, who was not involved in the study, explained that these findings highlight the potential of blood tests to assess the risk of future diseases. “This long-term study suggests that measuring organ age could offer a way to predict and manage the risk of developing serious health conditions,” he said.
The study analyzed blood samples from 6,235 adults, collected between 1997 and 1999 when the participants were aged 45 to 69. These individuals were part of the Whitehall II study, which tracked the health of U.K. government employees. The researchers used proteomic analysis to identify proteins in the blood samples and assess the biological age of nine organs: arteries, brain, heart, immune system, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, and pancreas.
The results revealed that participants with a greater age gap between organs had a higher risk of developing 30 out of 45 age-related diseases. Notably, those with faster-aging organs were more likely to develop multi-organ illnesses, and the combined effect of aging in several organs led to higher mortality.
The research highlighted the connection between organ aging and disease risks. For instance, individuals with an accelerated heart age had a higher risk of heart disease. Similarly, those with advanced aging in multiple organs were at an increased risk of developing other health issues.
Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, a public health expert at New Mexico State University, noted the interconnectedness of organ aging. “The aging of one organ can influence the aging of others due to shared immune, vascular, and genetic factors,” he said. He also emphasized that this insight could challenge future healthcare practices, but it marks a significant step forward in understanding aging.
A key finding of the study was the relationship between organ aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers found that an age gap in the immune system was strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia, while a rapidly aging intestine was a major risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. These results support earlier studies that have linked inflammation with higher dementia risk.
Dr. Chen further noted that the connection between inflammatory proteins in the blood and dementia risk suggests that future research should explore how inflammation contributes to neurodegenerative disorders.
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