Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified blood markers associated with healthy aging and accelerated aging. These markers can help predict a person’s biological age, which reflects the rate of aging of their cells and organs, independent of chronological age. A study published in the journal Aging Cell highlights the joints and compounds that may contribute to biological age, offering insight into why people age differently and potential interventions to slow down aging and prolong a healthy life.
“Age is not just a number,” says Dr. Adi Gurkar, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. “Imagine two 65-year-olds: one is biking to work and skiing on weekends, while the other struggles to climb stairs.”
To determine the “molecular print” of biological aging, researchers used metabolomics to analyze metabolites in blood samples from study participants. The team identified 25 metabolites, known as the Metabolic Healthy Aging (HAM) index, which was more effective than other methods at distinguishing between individuals aging healthily and rapidly.
“When we examined a different group of people from another geographic region, we found that the same metabolites were linked to biological aging,” states Dr. Gurkar. “This suggests that the HAM index can accurately predict who is aging healthily and who is rapidly aging.”
Future research will focus on tracking how metabolites in younger individuals change over time, with the ultimate goal of developing a blood test that can assess biological age in young adults and predict their risk of age-related diseases.
“While it is exciting to predict biological aging in older individuals, a blood test that can inform a 35-year-old that their biological age is closer to 45 would be even more impactful,” adds Dr. Gurkar. “This information could empower individuals to make lifestyle changes, such as improving sleep, diet, or exercise, to potentially reverse their biological age.”