A groundbreaking health-assessment method, known as the Health Octo Tool, has emerged, utilizing eight critical measures derived from physical examinations and routine laboratory tests to accurately calculate an individual’s biological age. This innovative tool may offer more precise predictions regarding an individual’s risk of disability and death compared to traditional health predictors.
The research team, spearheaded by Shabnam Salimi from the University of Washington School of Medicine, believes that the Health Octo Tool can reveal new factors influencing the aging process. This could lead to the design of targeted interventions aimed at extending lifespan. Salimi, a physician-scientist and acting instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, emphasizes that current health-assessment methods primarily focus on the impacts of individual diseases. However, they often overlook the interactions between diseases and how minor health issues can affect overall well-being.
“An aging-based framework offers a new path to discover biomarkers and therapeutics targeting organ-specific or whole-body aging, rather than individual diseases,” Salimi explained, highlighting the tool’s potential in advancing health assessments.
The foundation of the Health Octo Tool is the concept of health entropy, which represents the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time and its effects on the functionality of the body’s organs and systems. Essentially, health entropy serves as an indicator of an individual’s overall physical condition, which can be translated into a measure of their aging pace.
To create and validate the Health Octo Tool, researchers analyzed data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, recognized as one of the world’s longest-running aging studies. By examining participants’ medical histories, physical exam results, and lab test outcomes, the team was able to develop a comprehensive understanding of biological aging.
To confirm their findings, the researchers employed two additional large datasets, encompassing over 45,000 adults. They introduced a metric known as the Body Organ Disease Number, which gauges the number of organ systems, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems, affected by disease, including instances of cancer or stroke. This score ranges from 1 to 14, depending on the extent of organ system involvement.
Salimi noted, “Our findings demonstrated that organ systems age at different rates, prompting us to develop a Bodily System-Specific Age metric. This reflects each organ system's aging rate, alongside the Bodily-Specific Clock that represents each organ system’s intrinsic biological age.” Extending this concept to encompass the entire body, the researchers defined the Body Clock as a composite measure of overall intrinsic age, with Body Age representing the corresponding rate of aging.
Recognizing that individuals of the same biological age may experience varying levels of physical decline, the team also devised additional metrics, such as the Speed-Body Clock and Speed-Body Age. These metrics illustrate how biological age impacts walking speed, a common test used to assess the functional capacity of older adults.
The research team further introduced the Disability-Body Clock and Disability-Body Age, metrics that estimate how aging influences the risk of developing cognitive or physical disabilities. “Collectively, these eight metrics – Body Clock, Body Age, system-specific clocks and rates, Speed- and Disability-based clocks – provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s aging process,” Salimi remarked, emphasizing the tool's holistic approach.
One significant takeaway from the study is the realization that even minor health conditions, if untreated early in life, can considerably impact biological aging later on. For instance, untreated high blood pressure in youth may accelerate aging significantly, suggesting that early intervention could greatly enhance lifelong health.
The research team is currently developing a digital application designed to enable individuals and healthcare providers to calculate their body’s and organs’ biological ages. This innovative tool will allow users to monitor their aging rate and assess the effects of lifestyle changes or treatments.
“Whether someone is adopting a new diet, exercise routine, or taking longevity-targeting drugs, they will be able to visualize how their body – and each organ system – is responding,” Salimi explained. By integrating clinical data with sophisticated biological models, the Health Octo Tool presents a promising opportunity to track aging, customize treatments, and potentially enhance long-term health outcomes. The findings of this study have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
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