Organ age estimates link to disease and blood proteins
An observational analysis of 46,734 people identified 54–154 blood proteins associated with estimated age gaps in each of four organs.
Cross-sectional study
Limit: Organ ages were model estimates, not direct measurements of organ decline
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study used magnetic resonance imaging and body measurements to estimate brain, heart, liver and pancreas age in 46,734 individuals. Researchers defined an organ’s age gap as its predicted age minus the person’s actual age. They compared these gaps with UK Biobank data on blood proteins, behavior, diseases and other traits.
The gaps improved prediction of age-related outcomes involving both the same organ and other organs. Researchers identified 54–154 associated blood proteins per organ. Nine proteins were linked to age gaps in all four organs and to death from any cause. Smoking showed strong associations across organs, while links involving alcohol intake, sleep duration and physical activity were more selective. Organ age gaps captured partly overlapping but complementary information to age gaps estimated from blood proteins.
Why it matters
Organs age unevenly, raising questions about whether a single whole-body measure can capture their decline. This framework offers a way to investigate those differences in relation to age-related disease.
Caveats
These were model-based age estimates, not direct measurements of organ decline. The observational links cannot establish cause and effect.
The paper
Sun Yat-sen University; Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital
Age and Ageing, Aug 3, 2026
