Can Blood Tests Assess Aging?

A recent study published by Oh, H.SH., Rutledge, J., Nachun, D. et al. in Nature has revealed that the aging of individual organs can be assessed using protein levels in blood plasma. This method, known as plasma proteomics, has been shown to be able to predict mortality and disease risk, and to identify individuals with accelerated aging of specific organs. This finding has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of aging and to develop new therapies for age-related diseases.

The study involved analysing blood plasma samples from over 5,000 individuals from five different cohorts. The researchers developed machine learning models to identify patterns of protein levels that were associated with aging in 11 different organs. These models were then able to predict mortality risk and the risk of developing specific diseases, such as heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease.

The study also found that individuals with accelerated aging of specific organs were more likely to develop age-related diseases. For example, individuals with accelerated heart aging were 250% more likely to develop heart failure, and individuals with accelerated brain and vascular aging were as likely as individuals with high levels of pTau-181 (a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease) to develop the disease.

These findings have important implications for the development of new therapies for age-related diseases. By measuring the aging of individual organs, doctors may be able to identify individuals at high risk of developing these diseases and to intervene early to prevent them.

Overall, the study provides strong evidence that plasma proteomics is a powerful tool for assessing the aging of individual organs and for predicting mortality and disease risk. This method has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of aging and to develop new therapies for age-related diseases.