Simple blood test could show how fast your organs are ageing – and predict risk of disease decades in advance
A SIMPLE blood test that spots how fast organs are ageing could also predict the risk of major diseases decades in advance.
A new study found that one blood test could not only pick up future problems relating to particular organs - but also how they create issues in another part of the body.
Scientists from University College London (UCL) showed that accelerated organ ageing predicted the risk of 30 diseases over 20 years in healthy individuals.
For example, a rapidly ageing heart revealed a higher risk of heart disease, while accelerated lung ageing predicted respiratory infections, COPD, and lung cancer.
Surprisingly, the highest risk of dementia was linked to people with faster-aging immune systems, not those with faster brain aging in midlife.
The experts said this supports previous research showing that people prone to severe infections are also at higher risk for dementia later in life.
Read more on blood tests
The finding suggests that inflammatory processes may play a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, the scientists said.
Accelerated kidney ageing was also linked to a higher risk of vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease later in life.
Biological ageing of nearly all organs was linked to a higher risk of kidney disease.
Writing in the journal Lancet Digital Health, Lead author Professor Mika Kivimaki, from UCL, said: "Our organs function as an integrated system, but they can age at different rates.
"Ageing in particular organs can contribute to numerous ageing-related diseases, so it's important for us to take care of all aspects of our health.
"We found that a quick and easy blood test can identify whether a specific organ is ageing faster than expected.
"In years to come, blood tests like this could play a crucial role in preventing numerous diseases.
"I believe that in the future of healthcare, the prevention of age-related diseases could begin much earlier, prioritising those who would benefit most and tailoring interventions to individual risk profiles."
The research team, including experts from UCL, Stanford University and the University of Helsinki, analysed blood plasma samples from 6,235 people aged 45 to 69 taking part in the British Whitehall II study.
Blood tests may advise whether a person needs to take better care of a particular organ, and potentially provide an early-warning signal that they may be at risk of a particular disease
Professor Mika Kivimaki
Researchers worked to determine the biological age (how fast something is ageing) of nine organs (heart, blood vessels, liver, immune system, pancreas, kidneys, lungs, intestines, and the brain) and for the entire body.
They measured the gap between a person's chronological (actual) age and the biological age of each of their organs, and found that organs often aged at different rates in the same person.
After 20 years, when people were aged 65 to 89, many had been diagnosed with at least one of the ageing-related diseases being studied.
Tips to age well
There are a number of habits you can take up to care for your health and wellbeing as you age.
Age UK shared the following tips:
- Do things that you enjoy everyday - whether that's cooking, seeing friends or enjoying a good book
- Stay hydrated - drink six to eight cups of water a day
- Eat plenty of fruit and veggies to lower your risk of heart disease and certain cancers, have beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat to repair your body after injury, starchy carbs for energy dairy to help keep bones strong
- Manage long-term health conditions to prevent them progressing or having a greater impact on your health
- Quit smoking and reduce alcohol intake to no more than 14 units a week
- Make mental health a priority and get treatment for it, as it can also impact physical health
- Make sure you're getting quality sleep
- Keep socialising - and call a friend or loved one if you can't make it out the house
- Be physically active to lower the risk of depression and dementia, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s and some cancers
Accelerated ageing in one organ also seemed to often impair the function of other organs.
The researchers said this may explain why people with a rapidly ageing organ were particularly prone to experiencing multiple age-related diseases across different organs.
New advances mean many thousands of proteins can now be measured simultaneously from one blood sample, they added. The test is called a proteomic test.
Prof Mika added: "We hope our findings could contribute to new ways of helping people stay healthy for longer as they age.
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"Blood tests may advise whether a person needs to take better care of a particular organ, and potentially provide an early-warning signal that they may be at risk of a particular disease."
This study was supported by Wellcome, the Medical Research Council, the US National Institutes of Health, and the Research Council of Finland.