Gaby
A new large-scale study by neurologists at Stanford University has revealed that the biological age of the brain can predict a person’s lifespan.
The team developed an innovative method for measuring the biological age of the brain, which turned out to be one of the most reliable indicators of future health and longevity.
What Did the Scientists Discover?
During the study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 45,000 adult participants, measuring levels of over 3,000 proteins. Most of these proteins are linked to specific organs, including the brain. Understanding these connections, the scientists assessed the biological age of each organ system, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
If the protein profile of an organ significantly differed from the average for a person’s chronological (calendar) age, that organ was classified as either “extremely old” or “extremely young.”
The researchers found that among all the measured organs, the brain was the most reliable predictor of lifespan.
“The brain is a marker of longevity. If your brain is biologically old, your mortality risk is higher. If your brain is young, you’re likely to live longer,” said Professor Tony Wyss-Coray, the senior author of the study.
Participants with an “extremely old” brain had a 12-fold higher likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease within a decade compared to those of the same age with a biologically young brain.
A biologically older brain increased the risk of death from any cause by 182 percent over a 15-year period, while a younger brain was associated with a 40 percent reduction in mortality.
As Professor Wyss-Coray noted, assessing the brain and other organs based on their biological age could usher in a new era of preventive medicine.
“Ideally, this is the future of medicine. Right now, you go to the doctor when something hurts, and they look at what’s broken. We’re trying to intervene before a person develops an organ-specific disease,” the researcher explained.
The team is now working on commercializing the test, which they say could be available within the next two to three years, starting with key organs like the brain, heart, and immune system.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.
