Aging Prediction: Could a Basic Blood Test Reveal Insights Regarding Your Lifespan?
Keepin' it real, here's the skinny on intrinsic capacity, aka your ultimate aging score. This bad boy is the blend of your physical and mental powers, including walking, thinkin', seein', hearin', and rememberin'. Overall, maintainin' this badass capacity is crucial for healthy aging, but measure it? That's been a costly and time-consuming mess until now.
Enter the new kid on the block – a trick for assessin' intrinsic capacity and age-related decline from a single drop of blood or spit. That's right, folks, a simple blood or spit test could be the game-changer for trackin' age and steerin' targeted interventions to keep your mental and physical powers on point as you get older.
So, what exactly is this miracle test? Known as DNAm IC (pronounced dee-na-em eye-cee), it uses DNA methylation patterns (yeah, chemical tags that regulate gene activity) to estimate your IC biologically, offerin' insights into how well your body is functionin' compared to your actual age. The best part? It's accessible, noninvasive, and tellin' you not just how old you are, but how well you're ACTUALLY aging.
The scientists used data from over a thousand peeps from the INSPIRE-T cohort, ranged from 20 to 102 years, to create an IC score based on five aspects of age-related decline: cognition, locomotion, sensory (vision and hearing), psychological, and vitality. From blood and spit tests, they collected info on DNA methylation, a process that changes over time due to developmental mutations and environmental factors, and has been linked to numerous diseases.
They then combined DNA methylation data with age-related decline data to construct an IC predictor (a.k.a. "IC clock," or DNAm IC), and evaluated connections between the IC clock and mortality.
Results showed DNAm IC was strongly associated with overall health. Folks with the highest DNAm IC had better lung function, faster walkin' speed, greater bone mineral density, and were more likely to view themselves as healthy. Plus, people with a high DNAm IC lived approximately 5.5 years longer than those with a low DNAm IC.
Experts like Thomas M. Holland, MD, a physician-scientist and assistant professor at the RUSH Institute for Healthy Aging, and Elena Rolt, a registered nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner, welcomed the findings. They believe that the DNAm IC test has significant potential as a practical measure of biological aging and may be especially relevant for personalized aging interventions and preventive strategies.
However, they also emphasized that its use should be complementary to other markers and its utility in clinical practice will depend on further validation.
Now, you might be wondering, can you improve your intrinsic capacity? The answer is a definitive yes! While it declines with age, there are measures to slow that decline. This study found that people with a high dietary intake of oily fish and sugar intake within recommended guidelines (no more than 5% of total energy intake) were more likely to have a high DNAm IC.
See, oily fish are rich in omega-3s, which have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and mitochondrial-supportive properties, all closely aligned with domains of IC such as vitality and cognitive function. Limiting excessive sugar intake helps reduce inflammatory burden, preserving cognitive and physical function. Other expert-recommended measures for healthy aging include:
- followin' a healthy diet, such as the MIND or Mediterranean diet, that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy fats like those found in nuts, olive oil, and oily fish
- gettin' regular physical activity, including aerobic activity, strength training, and balance exercises
- engagin' in cognitive and social engagement – keepin' your brain stimulated and maintaining social networks are both associated with healthier aging
- managin' stress and any chronic diseases.
So, there you have it! With the DNAm IC test, you can better understand and potentially improve your aging process. It's a promise in aging science that could pave the way for more personalized and effective interventions to maintain health and function in older age. Do it for the 'gram, do it for yourself – embrace the power of DNAm IC!
- The new approach for assessing intrinsic capacity and age-related decline uses a simple blood or spit test, which could revolutionize the tracking of age and steer targeted interventions for maintaining mental and physical powers during aging.
- DNAm IC, a test that utilizes DNA methylation patterns to estimate intrinsic capacity biologically, offers insights into how well one's body is functioning compared to their actual age and provides a noninvasive and accessible method for evaluating health-and-wellness across the aging process.
- According to experts, the DNAm IC test has significant potential as a practical measure of biological aging, and may be particularly relevant for personalized aging interventions and preventive strategies, complementing other markers in clinical practice for a comprehensive health evaluation.
