A recent study discovered that individuals with “young” brains who age gradually are likely to develop a neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s, as compared to those with “old” brains suffering from expedited ageing.
Results indicated that having an extremely aged brain nearly triples an individual’s risk of dying during a 15-year study.
Simultaneously, individuals with very young brains had a 40% reduced risk of early death.
A new study from Stanford Medicine discovered that the biological age of the brain significantly contributes to determining a person's longevity.
For the study, researchers analysed nearly 44,500 participants aged 40 to 70 in the UK Biobank study.
They projected the biological age of 11 organs, including the brain, based on blood proteins.
Results indicated that 6–7% of individuals had “extremely youthful” or “extremely aged” brains.
Lead researcher Tony Wyss-Coray stated, “The brain is the gatekeeper of longevity.”
Individuals with biologically older brains experience an increased risk of death, while those with younger brains are expected to live longer.
Aged organs were associated with increased chronic disease risk, including cardiac arrest from an older heart or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) from aged lungs.
However, the brain found the strongest association between individuals with an aged brain, who were three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s as compared to those with normally ageing brains.
Experts stressed the need to commercialise a blood test entirely focused on key organs such as the brain, heart, and immune system, making “health care” more accessible than ever.
