Blood test patterns linked to health risks in older adults
Women with blood-test signs of altered metabolism had higher relative risk of death than women with healthy blood profiles over about 11 years (hazard ratio 1.49).
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational cohort study followed 1,491 adults aged 65 or older in Toledo, Spain, including 631 men and 860 women, for about 11 years. Researchers used machine learning to group participants by 39 routine blood measures, without assigning categories in advance. The three profiles reflected broadly healthy values, subtle metabolic changes such as higher blood sugar, or lower red blood cell measures with subtle kidney-related changes.
The groups differed in physical function, frailty and independence at the start. Later disease patterns differed by sex. Women with the metabolic profile had higher mortality than women with the healthy profile. The metabolic profile’s blood-test pattern was broadly similar in a separate cohort of physically active older adults, providing partial replication.
Why it matters
Differences in how people age complicate prevention and care. The authors suggest routine blood tests could offer a low-cost way to guide more personalized prevention.
Caveats
This observational study cannot establish cause or show that using the profiles improves prevention. Researchers excluded 997 participants before grouping, including people with missing required blood data; the findings do not establish applicability to adults younger than 65.
The paper
Latent biochemical phenotypes delineate divergent health trajectories in older adults
University of Castilla-La Mancha; Instituto de Salud Carlos III
npj Aging, May 29, 2026, Open access
