While chronological age is easily measured, it fails to capture the complex biological processes that determine the rate of aging. A new proteomic aging clock may predict biological age, mortality risk, and the likelihood of age-related diseases, though further validation is needed.
This new clock, detailed in a recent Nature Medicine study, analyzes a vast array of proteins in your blood to gauge the speed at which you age. This offers a new tool for medicine and healthy aging interventions and leverages the power of large-scale protein analysis to provide a more accurate measure of an individual’s biological age than chronological age.
Decoding the Proteomic Aging Clock
By examining nearly 3,000 plasma proteins from over 45,000 people, researchers identified 204 key proteins that may predict chronological age. The proteomic age clock aligns with the incidence of eighteen major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, liver, kidney, and lung diseases, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and cancer. The clock may forecast the risk of developing multiple health conditions and overall mortality risk.
