A simple tool can predict biological age using epigenetic information from oral swab samples and can even effectively determine mortality risk when using data from other tissues.
CheekAge tool is an “epigenetic clock”; That is, a tool that examines minor DNA changes called methylation markers to predict age. These markers accumulate in our genome over time and affect how our genes are expressed and converted into functional proteins. For this reason, they are used to determine epigenetic age.
The first generation of watches aimed to estimate chronological age, but later watches took measures of health and lifestyle and studied epigenetic markers in blood. In early 2024, researchers at Tally Health in New York developed a CheekAge instrument that analyzes oral swabs. ChickAge estimates a person’s biological age based on certain lifestyle factors such as smoking status, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption.
New ChickAge tool detects methylations associated with mortality
According to IFLScience, the research team in a new study looked at whether chick age can predict the risk of future death. The findings proved that the tool was as accurate as, or even more accurate than, other epigenetic clocks.
With the new method, scientists can tell you when you will die with just a mouth swap. However, in the past, this process involved taking blood tissue samples or being subjected to a series of tests that closely resembled a physical assessment.
The research team tested ChickAge on a dataset of 1,513 people born between 1921 and 1936. The biological data of individuals over their lifetime is recorded by the Lothian Birth Cohorts, or LBC, study at the University of Edinburgh. The researchers looked at specific points in DNA where methyl groups are added to the nucleotide cytosine (part of our DNA) that are linked to how we age.
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The researchers found that each standard deviation increase in the ChickAge score was associated with a 21% increased risk of death from any cause. Therefore, an increased CHICKAGE score may indicate faster aging and a greater likelihood of health problems.
Methylation data in LBC were not based on saliva and instead, recorded blood samples. ChickAge’s accuracy, even when using LBC data, suggests that mortality markers are common across different body tissues, the researchers say.
Maxim Shukhiro“We also [در مطالعه] “We show that specific methylation sites are particularly important for this correlation, revealing potential links between specific genes and processes and human mortality recorded by our clock.”
Scientists have found that some important methylation spots are located in certain genes. One of these genes is called PDZRN4, which helps prevent the growth of tumors. Another important gene is ALPK2, which is associated with cancer and heart health.
Dr Goodbye Johnson“It would be interesting to determine whether genes such as ALPK2 affect longevity or health in animal models,” said one of the study’s authors and a Tally Health researcher.
The study is published in Frontiers in Aging.
