There is a lot to unpack in this rich and sophisticated

Nature Medicine article by a @Stanford University team led by @tony wyss-coray (@Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh, @Yann Le Guen, @Nimrod Rappoport, @Deniz Yagmur Urey, @Amelia Farinas, @Jarod Rutledge, @Divya Channappa, @Anthony D. Wagner, @Elizabeth Mormino, @Anne Brunet, @Michael D. Greicius): “Plasma proteomics links brain and immune system aging with healthspan and longevity.”

Two fascinating findings that struck me:

One can be found in the title. “Brain aging was most strongly predictive (...) suggesting that the brain may be a central regulator of lifespan in humans similar to findings in animal models (worms, flies and mice). Indeed, individuals with aged brains had increased risk for several diseases beyond dementia, including COPD and heart failure consistent with previous studies showing that the brain regulates systemic inflammation.” Super interesting that brain age estimated from plasma proteomics is such a strong predictor. I take exception with the last sentence, I think there is limited evidence that the brain “regulates” systemic inflammation -a lot more work needed in this area.

The other one is a favorite topic of mine, modifiable lifestyle factors. The study shows the associations between such factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep, diet and, interestingly, the Townsend Deprivation Index, which may not be that “modifiable” as it measures “unemployment, non-car ownership, non-home ownership, and household overcrowding”). Figure 3 in the article is a treasure trove of findings: “smoking, alcohol, processed meat intake, the Townsend Deprivation Index and insomnia were associated with age acceleration across several organs, whereas vigorous exercise, oily fish consumption, poultry consumption and higher education were associated with youthful organs.” More unusual is the finding that six common drugs are associated with youth in at least 2 organs: “Ibuprofen, glucosamine, cod liver oil, multivitamins and vitamin C products were associated with youth primarily in the kidneys, brain and pancreas.” The 6th product, Premarin, is an estrogen medication: “Among 47 women with normal, early or premature menopause treated with estrogen, earlier menopause was associated with accelerated aging across most organs, whereas estrogen treatment correlated with youthful immune, liver and artery profiles.”

There is a lot more in the article. Read and enjoy!