A simple blood test will reveal your chances of living to 100
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A new study suggests that a simple blood test can predict a person's chances of reaching 100 years of age.
If you could predict the future, how long you'd live would probably be at the top of your list. While fortune-telling isn't always accurate, your body does offer some clues about your overall lifespan.
A new study has found that blood markers may hold the answers to your longevity.
A large study of more than 44,500 people measured and tracked various molecules in the blood of people born between 1893 and 1920.
The research team focused specifically on people who were between the ages of 64 and 99 when their blood was first tested, and followed them as they approached 100 years of age.
About 1,200 of the study participants, or about 2.7 percent, achieved the title of centenarian. The research team compared their data with that of their peers who were younger than them.
“The results identified 12 blood molecules related to metabolism, inflammation, liver and kidney function that were associated with aging or mortality. Total cholesterol and blood sugar were used as markers of metabolism, uric acid to determine the level of inflammation, enzymes for liver health, and creatinine to measure kidney health,” says the internist.
The scientists also took into account albumin and iron levels in the blood.
In addition to the liver enzyme and albumin, other molecules were found to be associated with reaching 100 years of age.
Starting at the age of sixty, centenarians tended to have lower levels of blood sugar, creatinine and uric acid. Few centenarians had glucose levels above 6.5 or creatinine levels above 125 at the beginning of life.
In addition, people with higher levels of total cholesterol and iron were more likely to live longer.
The researchers explained that the results suggest a “potential link” between metabolism, nutrition and longevity.
“While chance likely plays a role in reaching 100 years of age, the differences in biomarker values more than a decade before death suggest that genetic and/or lifestyle factors reflected in these biomarker levels may also play a role in exceptional longevity,” the doctor explains.
A limitation of the study is that it did not identify any lifestyle factors or genes responsible for the levels of blood molecules.
However, the research team added that it is “reasonable” to assume that factors such as diet and alcohol consumption play a role.
“Monitoring kidney and liver function, as well as glucose and uric acid levels in “As you get older, it would probably be a good idea,” the doctor added.
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