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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
