A simple blood test to identify which organs in the body are ageing at different rates could predict the risk of major diseases such as cancer decades later, researchers say. 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.
Researchers were able to show that accelerated organ ageing predicted the risk of 30 different diseases over a 20-year period in people who were initially regarded as healthy. For example, a heart that aged more rapidly predicted significantly increased risk of heart diseases, while people with accelerated lung ageing were more likely to suffer respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer years later.
In an unexpected twist, the highest risk of dementia was found in people whose immune system aged faster than usual – not in people whose brains aged more rapidly in midlife. The scientists said this supports earlier work which found people prone to severe infections are also at higher risk for dementia later in life.
The finding further suggests that inflammatory processes may play a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, they said. Kidney health was also found to be linked to other organs, with people with accelerated kidney ageing more likely to later develop vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases.
Meanwhile, biological ageing of nearly all organs predicted an increased risk of kidney disease. The findings were published in the journal Lancet Digital Health. Lead author Professor Mika Kivimaki, from the University College London (UCL) faculty of brain sciences, 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. 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.
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 Kivimaki said: “We hope our findings could contribute to new ways of helping people stay healthy for longer as they age.
“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.
