Researchers can develop new “body clock” tools to calculate people’s biological ages and even predict the risk of disability and death.
According to a press release from UW, a tool from the University of Washington School of Medicine uses eight different indicators, including physical examinations of patients and companions, to determine results.
The methodology of this tool is officially named Health Octo Tool and is detailed in the May 5th publication, Nature Communication.
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Researchers believe this method is more comprehensive than current health assessments. This generally focuses on individual diseases rather than overall health, according to Dr. Shabnam Salimi, the first author of the report, and Dr. Shabnam Salimi, a physician scientist and surrogate instructor at the School of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at UW.
Researchers can develop new “body clock” tools to calculate people’s biological ages and even predict the risk of disability and death. (istock)
Using data from large longevity studies, the Health OCTO tool has been found to predict disability, geriatric syndrome (a group of general health conditions in older adults), short somatic performance batteries (a clinical tool to assess lower extremity function in older adults), and mortality rates above 90% accuracy.
“Aging-based frameworks provide a new pathway for discovering biomarkers and therapeutics targeting organ-specific or systemic aging, rather than individual diseases,” Salimi said in the release.
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The tool focuses on “health entropy,” which includes the amount of molecular and cellular damage that the body has persisted over time.
This directly affects the functioning of a person’s organs and the entire body. This can be used to determine how quickly they are aging, the researchers noted.
“Aging is a true analogue and non-digital process.”
The tool starts by assigning the “number of body organ diseases” in the range of 1-14 based on whether the patient has experienced a disease affecting the heart, lungs, brain, or other specific organ systems.
“Our findings encouraged organ systems to age at different rates and develop body system-specific age metrics that reflect the aging rate of each organ system and the body-specific clock that represents the unique biological age of each organ system,” Salimi said.
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“Expanding this concept throughout the body, we define the internal clock as a composite measure of the overall aging rate of endogenous and body age.”
The two components of the tool, the Speed Body Clock and the Speed Body age, measures how biological age affects walking speed.
“Aging-based frameworks provide a new avenue for discovering biomarkers and therapeutics that target organ-specific or systemic aging rather than individual diseases,” the lead investigator said. (istock)
The clock and age components of the disabled measure the effects of aging on cognitive function and physical disability, the release states.
According to Salimi, a seeming recall from the study was that it could have a major impact on aging, including untreated hypertension early in life. This indicates that treating these conditions earlier can slow biological aging.
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Looking ahead, researchers plan to develop digital apps that people can use to track their biological age, track how quickly they age, and measure the impact of lifestyle changes.
“Whether someone is adopting a new diet, exercising, or taking medications targeting longevity, they can visualize how their bodies and each organ system are responding,” Salimi said.
“Aging is not a linear or fully quantifiable process. It is influenced by countless known and unknown genetic, molecular, environmental and psychosocial factors,” one doctor said. (istock)
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon, also runs longevity practices, but was not involved in developing the tool, commented on its potential benefits and limitations.
“The tool is distinguished by providing a potentially practical framework for clinical applications based on models based on easily accessible physical examination findings and standard lab tests,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The app is being developed to empower patients and potentially encourage the development of health habits.
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The doctors also praised the OCTO tool’s focus on system-based aging metrics rather than disease-specific assessments.
However, Osborne noted that these types of proposed biological aging clocks have limitations. It is primarily incapable of fighting the inherent complexity of aging.
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“Aging is not a linear or fully quantifiable process. It is influenced by countless known and unknown genetic, molecular, environmental and psychosocial factors,” the doctor said.
“It’s a truly ‘analog’ and ‘non-digital’ process. Therefore, it is not surprising that the model does not capture the entire landscape. ”
According to one expert, the most important thing is to use comprehensive testing and tracking as a stepping stone to shaping lifelong health habits. (istock)
UW’s tools do not take into account the specific genetic and DNA processes that affect biological aging, Osborne noted.
“Aging clocks are often lacking when applied to diverse populations or when predicting individual outcomes (lifespan),” he added.
“If we save a person’s life by attracting their attention to the health of the disease, it’s a victory.”
Rather than determining absolute biological age, Osborn suggests using these tools to track trends over time.
“Tools like Health Octo, for example, can help assess individuals’ responses to interventions, including new exercise regimens, medications, and lifestyle changes.”
Most importantly, according to Osborn, it is the use of comprehensive testing and tracking as a stepping stone to the formation of lifelong health habits.
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“If we save a person’s life by attracting their attention on illness health (revealed as a downward trend), it’s a victory.”
This study was supported by a National Institutes of Health grant from the National Institutes of Aging.
