Some people aged 60 still have a healthy heart, but suffer from kidney disease. Some even 30 years old, despite healthy kidneys, often suffer from infectious diseases. Why is the aging process so different for different people? A recent study showed that there are four different “types of aging” of the human body: immune, renal, hepatic and metabolic, according to a Live Science article. The results of the study were published in the British journal Nature Medicine. The article notes that the type of aging of a person depends on which physiological system in his body “wears out” the fastest. One day, doctors will be able to use this information to recommend that patients change their lifestyle and develop personalized treatments.
According to a recent study, scientists for two years studied the blood, genetic material, proteins and other products of the metabolic processes of 43 participants in the experiment. In the course of the observations, about 600 so-called “aging markers” were revealed, by the values of which it is possible to predict the functional capabilities of some organs and evaluate their “biological age”.
The study group divided 43 participants into groups and identified four different types of aging: immune, renal, hepatic and metabolic. According to the degree of aging of the biological systems of the subjects, some people fall into one category, while others can meet the criteria of all four.
For example, in people with an immune type of aging, more inflammatory markers were found; people with a metabolic type have high blood sugar, which indicates a decrease in the efficiency of glucose metabolism in their body. The authors of the study also found that a combination of several types of aging is possible in the aging process of the body.
Research leader Michael Snyder, a professor at the Department of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine, said scientists used to collect aging markers from huge demographic data. The researchers identified aging markers by comparing the data of young people with the data of the elderly, but such data could only judge the state of the body at a certain time, but did not reveal its changes with age. This means that demographic markers of aging are probably not the best criteria for determining the characteristics of the aging process of patients and which treatment methods are most effective for them.
With this in mind, the Snyder team hoped to identify differences in the aging markers in individuals, tracking how the performance of certain groups of people changed over time. The age of the participants in the experiment ranged from 29 to 75 years, at least five biological samples were taken from each of them over two years. After analyzing the data, these four types of aging were identified.
“There may be other types,” said Snyder.
He explained that, for example, one of the subjects belonged to the cardiovascular type of aging. This means that his heart muscle “wore out” faster than other organs. “As research deepens, new types of aging are likely to be revealed,” said Michael Snyder. “If we study a thousand people, I’m sure that other people with a cardiovascular type of aging will be found, so we can better study the features of this type.”
The Snyder team will continue to monitor the subjects in order to identify what changes occur in their bodies as they age over time. They also plan to develop a simple way to determine the type of aging so that doctors can quickly assess the health status of patients right in their office and develop an optimal treatment plan.
James Kirkland, head of the Mayo Clinic, one of the best aging research centers in the world, did not participate in the study. He said: “Perhaps it will be possible to slow down the aging process with the help of certain medicines, diet and proper lifestyle. However, first we need to know which drugs are suitable for certain groups of people, or which types of diets will be most effective. “
Although drugs, diets, and exercise can slow down some of the signs of aging, some markers of aging are not fully understood, the researchers note.
For example, in 12 participants in the Snyder experiment, markers of renal failure were reduced, 8 of them took statins. This type of marker is a kind of “waste” called creatinine, which accumulates in the blood during self-destruction of muscle tissue, but the kidneys filter this substance and then remove it from the body with urine. A decrease in creatinine levels in eight people taking statins suggests that the drugs improve kidney function. However, it is not clear why this decrease is observed in the other four.
The researchers also found that the concentration of certain microorganisms changes with age, but it is unclear how this affects health. From Snyder’s point of view, some microorganisms reproduce due to age-related changes in the body, while others may contribute to these changes.
In addition, the researchers found that there are differences between the types of aging of patients with diabetes and patients in a prediabetic state, as well as in people sensitive to insulin. Many studies show that insulin plays an important role in the aging process throughout the animal kingdom. However, more research is needed to identify the effects of insulin on the aging of the human body.
According to Snyder, in the near future, types of aging can become a key indicator of how well people care for those organs that age faster. For example, adherents of the cardiovascular type of aging will be able to focus on improving the health of the cardiovascular system and, when passing a medical examination, pay more attention to the state of the organs of this system.
“As we study information about such patients, we will be able to better monitor the aging process of people and understand what measures they have taken to slow this process,” said Snyder.
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