As we progress through life, our risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and neurological diseases increases significantly. But while we all age chronologically at the same pace, biological clocks can tick. fast or slow. Relying solely on chronological age, or the number of years since birth, is insufficient to measure biological age within the body.
This contradiction led scientists to find ways to determine a person’s character. biological age. One way is toepigenetic clock” takes into account the chemical changes that occur in DNA as we age. In another approach, Information from medical testssuch as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other physiological measurements.
By using these “biomarkers,” researchers can often tell when a person’s biological age exceeds their chronological age. Accelerated cellular aging And they become more susceptible to age-related diseases.
Our new research suggests your biological age may be more predictive of your future risk of dementia and stroke than the number of years you’ve lived.
Previous research Various studies have elucidated this association, but often on a limited scale. This leaves gaps in our understanding of how biological aging relates to various neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron diseases.
To fill this gap, our study Published in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, which tested more than 325,000 middle-aged and older adults in the UK. We investigated whether increasing biological age increases the future risk of developing neurological diseases such as dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and motor neuron disease.
To assess biological age, we analyzed 18 biomarkers collected during health examinations conducted between 2006 and 2010. These include blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, inflammatory markers, waist circumference, and lung capacity.
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They then followed the participants for nine years to see who developed the neurological disease. People who were older at biological age at the start of the study had a significantly higher risk of dementia and stroke over the next 10 years, even after accounting for differences in genetics, gender, income, and lifestyle.
Imagine two 60-year-olds enrolled in our study. One had a biological age of 65 years and the other 60 years. People with more accelerated biological age had a 20% higher risk of dementia and a 40% higher risk of stroke.
strong association
It is noteworthy that while increasing biological age showed a strong association with dementia and stroke, it had a weaker association with motor neuron disease and even an inverse association with Parkinson’s disease. Worth it.
Parkinson’s disease often presents with unique features. For example, smoking is common; accelerate agingparadoxically, Protective effect against Parkinson’s disease.
Our findings indicate that the biological aging process probably contributes significantly to subsequent dementia and stroke. In conjunction with previous research showing a significant association between Increasing biological age and cancer riskthese results suggest that slowing the body’s internal decline may be the key to preventing chronic disease in later life.
Assessing biological age from routine blood samples may one day become standard practice. People experiencing accelerated aging may be identified decades before symptoms of dementia appear. Although no cure is currently possible, early detection provides the opportunity for preventive lifestyle changes and close monitoring.
For example, biological age is lifestyle intervention Exercise, sleep, diet, nutritional supplements, etc.
The next step is to replicate the results in different groups of people. We also hope to elucidate the link between genetic background, biological aging, and other major diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
For now, monitoring the aging process within the body may give people hope that they can slow cognitive decline and live healthier, more fulfilling lives later in life.
