Proteome: Predicting Your Age

Have you ever taken a test or questionnaire that predicts your health age? What they’re really predicting is your longevity based on lifestyle factors and where your health stands today. What if you could be more precise in actually calculating your health age? That’s what researchers did based on the results of the proteome study I talked about last week.

The researchers identified 373 proteins that could be used to predict someone’s age within about three years. They used proteome data from other studies to test the predictive capability. When the test predicted people were younger than they actually were, those people did better on cognitive and physical tests. That means the proteome was revealing a pattern of proteins associated with someone who was younger.

Don’t run out to get this test; it isn’t available—yet. Scientists are working to narrow the proteins included in the age-predictive equation; there’s a lot of work to be done before it can have any clinical significance.

Does that mean there’s nothing we can do now, test or no test? I think we have some options, and I’ll tell you about that Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nature Medicine. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0673-2