Your ‘brain age’ may predict if you will die early
- Computers predicted people’s ‘brain age’ based on their brain tissue volume
- A large difference between ‘brain’ and actual age indicates health and death risk
- The technique could screen people for cognitive decline and premature death
- MRI’s cost and the technique’s large margin of error may be setbacks for use
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
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Most of us don’t know how or when we are likely to die, which may encourage us to continue bad habits.
Yet, researchers at Imperial College London have used computers to predict people’s ‘brain age’ based on their brain tissue volume.
When tested on a group of older participants, their findings showed that the greater the difference between somebody’s ‘brain age’ and actual age, the higher their risk of poor physical and mental health, and an early death.
Although still in its infancy, this technique could one day help to identify those at risk of cognitive decline and death before the age of 80.
A difference between ‘brain’ and real age may indicate poor health and risk of an early death
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WANT A ‘YOUNGER’ BRAIN? DRINK BEETROOT JUICE
Drinking beetroot juice before exercise could take years off your brain.
Combining the drink with exercise strengthens certain regions of the brain, making it appear more youthful and potentially preventing the organ’s decline.
The findings from scientists at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, could help people who are at-risk of brain deterioration to remain functionally independent.
Beetroot juice’s power likely lies in its nitric oxide content, which both increases blood flow to the brain and improves exercise performance.
Study author Dr James Cole, said: ‘We’ve come up with a way of predicting someone’s brain age based on an MRI scan of their brain.
‘Our approach uses the discrepancy between their chronological age and what we call their brain-predicted age.
‘If your brain is predicted to be older than your real age than that reflects something negative may be happening.’
If applied to a screening programme, the technique could inform healthcare professionals of a person’s brain health.
Dr Cole said: ‘In the long run it would be great if we could do this accurately enough so that we could do it at an individual level.
‘Someone could go to their doctor, have a brain scan and the doctor could say “your brain is 10 years older than it should be”, and potentially advise them to change their diet or lifestyle or to start a course of treatment.
‘People use the “age” of an organ all the time to talk about health.
‘Smokers are said to have lungs that are 20 years older than they should be, you can even answer online questionnaires about exercise and diet and get a “heart age”.
‘This technique could eventually be like that.’
The researchers are now looking to refine the technique by incorporating different types of imagery, such as a sharper MRI scanner, to improve its accuracy.
Yet, the high cost of MRI scanners prevents their broad use.
The scientists also stress the technique has the relatively large margin of error of around five years.
The researcher’s approach is based on a technique developed in 2010 that measures brain volume to estimate the organ’s ageing process.
Past studies have shown the average difference between a man’s ‘brain age’ and actual age is eight years, while women’s discrepancy is typically two years.
This comes after researchers at New Mexico Highlands University found walking and running boosts the brain’s blood supply.
Experts believe the impact of the foot hitting the ground sends pressure waves through the arteries, significantly increasing blood flow to the organ.
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