Age is just a number, it is often said. But while the years tick by for everyone, the way our bodies age can vary greatly from person to person. Now, a new study from the University of Pittsburgh may have found a way to quantify this difference: a blood test that reveals our biological age and could help us prevent various age-related health problems.
Biological age: the true indicator of our health
Imagine two 65 year old people. One bikes to work and skis on the weekend, the other struggles to climb a flight of stairs. They have the same chronological age, but their biological age is practically opposite. Why do they age so differently? The answer, according to Pittsburgh researchers, may be in their blood. More precisely, into 25 small molecules called metabolites, which are the product of the biological processes of our body. These metabolites, when present in certain quantities and proportions, can tell us a lot about how our body is aging.
The HAM index: a window into our health
The researchers identified these 25 key metabolites by comparing the blood of healthy older adults and rapidly aging older adults. The differences were so significant that they allowed us to create a real index, called HAM, Healthy Aging Metabolic Index. Basically, the HAM Index is like a window that allows us to peek inside our body and see how the aging process is progressing. And not only that: it could also help us predict the risk of developing certain age-related diseases. If you want to learn more, find the complete research here.
(in the picture: Aditi Gurkar, geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh and first author of the research).
The real breakthrough may come with the development of a blood test based on the HAM index. Imagine being able to find out your biological age with a simple blood test. Valuable information, especially if you are still young.
Imagine a 30-year-old person who is told that his biological age is much higher than it should be. That person may decide to change some aspects of their lifestyle (whether it's improving sleep, diet or physical activity) to try to reverse their biological age.
Aditi Gurkar, a geriatrician at the University of Pittsburgh and first author of the research.
A future of personalized medicine (at any age)
Like other recent discoveries, the potential of this test also goes beyond prevention. Knowing a person's biological age could help doctors personalize treatments, adapting them to the patient's actual health status. “Metabolites are dynamic,” Gurkar points out. “They change in real time to reflect our current health and how we feel, and we have the power to influence them through our lifestyle, diet and environment.”
In other words, the HAM index not only tells us how we are aging, but also gives us an idea of what we can do to age better. An exciting prospect for an increasingly personalized and preventive medicine.
Towards healthy and active ageing
Of course, we are still at the beginning, but now well beyond the first step. The HAM index test will be refined and validated in larger populations. But the results of this study open a promising avenue for understanding and influencing the aging process. In an increasingly aging world, with life expectancy constantly lengthening, this could make a big difference. Imagine a future where a simple blood test can tell us whether we are aging well or whether we need to take action. A future in which old age is no longer synonymous with illness and decline, but of vitality and health.
Mind you: the HAM index test is not a magic wand. It can't erase wrinkles or make us go back to our twenties. But it can give us a power that we didn't have before: that of seeing inside our bodies and taking control of our biological destiny.
