By Leila Gray – University of Washington –
A novel health-assessment tool that uses eight metrics derived from a person’s physical exam and routine lab tests could be used to characterize biological age and predict the person’s risk of disability and death better than current health predictors.
University of Washington School of Medicine researchers describe their method in a May 5 Nature Communication paper.
The method, called the Health Octo Tool, might make it possible to identify new factors that affect aging, and to design interventions that prolong life, said the report’s first author, Dr. Shabnam Salimi. She is a physician-scientist and acting instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine.
