New Study Reveals Organ-Specific Biological Age Can Predict Future Health Risks

A groundbreaking study led by researchers at University College London (U.K.) has discovered that the biological age of individual organs, as determined by a simple blood test, can predict the risk of developing various health conditions years or even decades in advance.

The findings, published in The Lancet Digital Health, highlight that accelerated aging in specific organs significantly increases the likelihood of both localized and systemic diseases.

According to Medical News Today, the study revealed that individuals with a larger gap between their chronological age and the biological age of their organs are at a higher risk of developing diseases later in life.

For instance, a higher “heart-age gap” was strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Similarly, advanced aging in other organs, such as the brain or liver, was linked to a higher probability of related conditions.

The research also uncovered that rapid aging in one organ can have cascading effects, increasing the risk of multi-organ diseases.

Moreover, individuals with accelerated aging in multiple organs faced an even greater risk of single-organ diseases.

The study emphasized that cellular aging has widespread implications, with faster-aging organs correlating with higher mortality rates.

Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, a board-certified interventional cardiologist not involved in the study, explained to Medical News Today that these organ-age gaps serve as critical indicators of future health risks. “For example, if your heart is biologically older than your actual age, you are more likely to develop heart disease later in life,” he said.

The study also explored how aging in one organ can influence the health of others.

Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University, who was not part of the research, noted the interconnectedness of organ systems.

“The most fascinating finding was how the aging of one organ impacts the disease probability and aging of other organs,” he told Medical News Today.

“This makes sense, as organs share immune, genetic, vascular, and inflammatory mechanisms. However, from a clinical perspective, these interrelationships will make preventive care and therapy development more complex.”

Dr. Khubchandani praised the study for its innovative approach, stating, “This was a much-needed investigation with many novel findings. It opens new avenues for understanding how organ-specific aging contributes to overall health and disease.”

The findings underscore the potential of organ-specific biological age as a predictive tool for personalized medicine.

By identifying which organs are aging faster, healthcare providers could develop targeted interventions to slow aging processes and reduce the risk of future diseases.

This research marks a significant step forward in the quest to understand and mitigate the effects of aging on human health.