Blood Analysis: Could a Basic Blood Test Offer Insights into Your Aging Process?

Predicting Lifespan: Might a Basic Blood Examination Reveal Insights into Your Aging Process?

Intrinsic capacity (IC) is a cinch to understand: it's the combo of all a person's mental and physical abilities, ranging from strolling to remembering stuff. To put it another way, it's the World Health Organization's (WHO) take on a person's overall capacity as they age.

IC is influenced by a whole lotta factors, like sickness, injuries, and simply growing older. Keeping your IC up is vital for aging gracefully, but measuring it has been a pricey and time-consuming endeavor.

Thankfully, researchers have introduced a brand new method for determining IC — and it ain't gonna break the bank. Just a drop of blood or saliva is enough to get an accurate read on a person's IC and age-related decline. This nifty test could help track aging and suggest targeted interventions to maintain mental and physical function in the golden years.

Scientists from the INSPIRE-T cohort studied 1,014 participants, between 20 and 102 years of age, to develop an IC score using five age-related decline indicators:

cognition
locomotion
sensory (vision and hearing)
psychological
vitality

Basically, they analyzed how well a person is functioning on a physical and mental level, and used that data to establish an IC predictor (aka an IC clock) using DNA methylation patterns in blood and saliva samples.

You might be wondering why this is all important. Well, it turns out that this IC clock is a powerful predictor of an individual's overall health and potentially helps gauge their longevity. People with the highest IC scores were found to have better lung function, faster walking speeds, superior bone mineral density, and had a more optimistic view of their health. It also discovered that individuals with a high IC score lived an average of 5.5 years longer than those with a low IC score.

Enter Thomas M. Holland, a physician-scientist and assistant professor at the RUSH Institute for Healthy Aging. He explained that the blood- or saliva-based IC test, known as DNAm IC, is a "very promising tool in aging science." It gives an estimation of a person's IC "biologically, offering insights into how well your body is functioning compared to your chronological age."

Elsewhere, Elena Rolt, a registered nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner, welcomed the DNAm IC's findings. She described it as a "practical measure of biological aging," which "captures functional aging more directly" than traditional epigenetic clock-based tests. However, Rolt cautioned that its use should be complementary to other markers, with its utility in clinical practice depending on further validation.

So, now that you know about the DNAm IC test, what can you do to boost your IC? The researchers discovered that people who consumed abundant oily fish in their diets and limited their sugar intake within recommended guidelines were more likely to have a high IC score. Tunç Tiryaki, a board-certified plastic surgeon, explained the association between these dietary factors and IC:

"Oily fish are brimming with omega-3s, which boast anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and mitochondrial-supportive properties. These mechanisms align closely with IC domains like vitality and cognitive function. Omega-3s also modulate gene expression related to immune responses and cellular senescence, pathways enriched in the DNAm IC signature."

"In contrast, excessive sugar intake accelerates glycation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation, all of which impair IC. Adhering to recommended sugar limits likely supports metabolic flexibility and reduces inflammatory burden, preserving cognitive and physical function. These dietary habits likely influence DNAm IC by modulating epigenetic regulation and immune aging, thereby helping maintain functional capacity," Tiryaki observed.

Holland, Tiryaki, and Rolt offered a variety of tips for healthy aging. They recommended following a healthy diet such as the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) or Mediterranean diet. Regular physical activity, including aerobic exercise, strength training, and balance exercises, was also emphasized. Maintaining cognitive and social engagement through stimulating the brain and maintaining social networks was crucial as well. Lastly, managing stress and chronic diseases was emphasized for overall wellbeing.

Holland was thrilled about the DNAm IC test, describing it as a "major advance in functional aging science." He explained that it "links molecular biology with real-world outcomes like mobility, cognition, and lifespan." Offering a glance into an individual's future health, he concluded, "DNAm IC reflects not only how long you might live, but how well you might function, and that shift in focus is central to meaningful longevity."

IC, or intrinsic capacity, encompasses a person's mental and physical abilities, including walking and memory retention, and is affects by factors like age, illness, and injuries.
Maintaining a high IC is essential for graceful aging, but measuring it has traditionally been expensive and time-consuming.
A new method introduces an affordable way to assess IC using just a drop of blood or saliva, providing an accurate read on a person's IC and age-related decline.
Researchers from the INSPIRE-T cohort used five indicators - cognition, locomotion, sensory, psychological, and vitality - to develop an IC score.
The IC predictor, or IC clock, was established using DNA methylation patterns in blood and saliva samples.
The IC clock serves as a powerful predictor of an individual's overall health and potential longevity.
People with high IC scores showed better lung function, faster walking speeds, superior bone mineral density, and a more optimistic view of their health.
Individuals with a high IC score lived an average of 5.5 years longer than those with a low IC score.
Thomas M. Holland, a physician-scientist, finds the blood- or saliva-based IC test, or DNAm IC, to be a promising tool in aging science, offering insights into a person's biological function compared to their chronological age.
Excessive sugar intake can accelerate aging by causing glycation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation, while oily fish with omega-3s support IC due to their anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and mitochondrial-supportive properties.
Adhering to recommended sugar limits and consuming abundant oily fish in your diet could help boost your IC score.
To maintain functional capacity and promote healthy aging, follow a healthy diet like MIND or Mediterranean, engage in regular exercise, and manage chronic diseases and stress.