These modifications are responsive to inflammation and aging. Proteomics is what it sounds like––the evaluation of proteins in your blood.ĭifferent proteins in the blood have specific half-lives (how long they remain in circulation) and as you age, they undergo chemical modifications, such as glycosylation. Next, we’ll cover more promising aging clocks. Like with transcriptomics, there were a few problems with the studies:Ĭomparability and reproducibility because metabolites are easily affected by the environment.ĭifficult to distinguish between metabolic disorders versus aging. Urine samples have been shown to predict age with good correlation to some of the known age-related biomarkers such as kidney function, hyperglycemia, and HbA1c levels. What is causing the burn in your muscles when you work out? It’s a metabolite, lactic acid.įor example, tripeptide CGT was shown to be a biomarker for age-associated decline in lung function and hip bone mineral density. These small molecules give you a more complete picture of biological processes because they represent the intermediate and final products of metabolism in organs and tissues. The metabolomics is the profiling of small molecules or metabolites. But other well-known markers didn’t show any correlation. Several of these markers are also incredibly vague.Īnd so, the search for a perfect age clock continues. Several markers such as IL-6, blood urea, and albumin were significantly different between the two groups. To test this, researchers took a group of people and used certain “transcripts” to classify young versus old subjects.
Researchers hoped that the “high-yield” part of your genome could be used to discern your biological age. Transcriptomics examines the portion of your DNA that gets translated into RNA, and eventually, protein. Let’s take a look at four methods researchers are using to try to “diagnose age.” TRANSCRIPTOMICSĭo you remember the high school biology sequence: DNA → RNA → protein? We want to minimize the gap between these numbers, and if possible, make your biological age younger than your chronicle age. This gives rise to the need for universal measures-clocks-that distinguish and measure biological age in comparison to chronological age. Halted cellular states––senescence––play a role too. Markers of physiological health are important, such as cognition, frailty, cardiovascular health, eye, and ear health.
Metabolites includes NAD, fasting glucose, cholesterol, and other markers of inflammation. Now, healthspan is a complicated concept because it needs biomarkers to quantify. What could you accomplish if you had an extra 30 healthy years? When most people think about aging, they focus on lifespan: the number of years a person will live.īut I don’t want to only increase our lifespan-I also want to increase our healthspan, the number of healthy years you will live. This deterioration is the main risk factor for major diseases: from cancer and diabetes, to cardiovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. WHAT IS AGING?Īging is the accumulation of damage––molecular disruptions in the structure of tissues and organs––leading eventually to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death. I’ve also made Longevity and Healthspan a key focus of my year-round coaching program Abundance360. NOTE : Every year I take a small group of investors, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs on a “ Platinum Longevity Trip ” to experience first-hand the major players, scientists, companies, and treatments in vitality and longevity science. (This blog is written by Peter Diamandis, MD and Felicia Hsu, MD) In today’s blog, we’ll first define aging, and then focus on four diagnostic methods of aging, known as the “-omics”: How do we get there? A key step is more accurately measuring aging itself-before we can improve it. It’s also a disease-one that many scientists are beginning to believe can be slowed, stopped, and perhaps even reversed. Instead of simply answering the question, “How old are you?”, you’ll be able to say “I’m five years younger than when we last met!”Īge will no longer be our number one risk factor for developing debilitating diseases such as cancer and diabetes.Īging is a highly personalized phenomenon and all of us seem to age at different rates. Imagine a future in which age becomes a health state.
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