Obesity Linked to the Biological Age of Newborns

A recent study shows that a mothers' obesity may affect the biological age of her newborn child. This study, conducted at Hasselt University in Belgium, associates a shorter telomere length (located in the cells of the newborn) with the obesity of their mother. Researchers that conducted this study used a sample of 743 mothers, ranging from the age of 17 to 44, The researchers were able to use samples of umbilical cord blood obtained from each newborn, directly after their delivery.

Biological age is essentially the number of times a cell will be able to divide in its lifetime, which is typically determined by the length of the telomeres in the cells of our bodies. Telomeres are vital to have in a person's genome, given that they protect chromosomes from degrading; they are the structures at the ends of chromosomes. Given this benefit, cells then have a more likely chance of dividing throughout their lifetime depending on the length of the telomere that ends the chromosome in which it is attempting to divide.

After observing all of the data gathered throughout this study, it remained prevalent that newborns whose mothers were not considered obese had longer telomeres versus newborns who had mothers that were indeed considered obese. In fact, only a single point increase in a mother's body mass index, or ones' weight-to-height ratio, was linked with newborns whose telomeres were shortened by about fifty base pairs considered to the average newborn's telomere length. Although it is normal for telomeres to shorten as people age, the rate at which telomeres shorten does not remain consistent between individuals. The fifty base pair shortage in these newborns is actually equal to the amount of base pairs an adult would lose on average in only a bit over a year.

According to previously done studies, the length of telomeres in adults may be associated with some age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and increased mortality; however, studies on the impacts of telomere length in newborns and children still remains limited. This study also does not take into account the body mass index, or the obesity of the paternal figure, which also may play a part in the length of the telomeres. Several factors have been ruled out to lead to the length of the telomeres; however, this is being further looked into.

I am very curious to see how this study will continue, and what further findings these researchers may have. I think it would be extremely important to learn about the influence of telomere length in newborns and children, given the associated health risks in adults. I also am very curious to see what role the paternal BMI, or possible other factors, will play in the deciding of the length of the newborn's telomeres.

How Old Are You?

Researchers can now determine an individual’s biological age by reading a “signature” based on hundred and fifty genes. A person biological age can be different than his or her chronological age. The biological age is a better measure for a person’s health. The biological age is closely tied to risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. These researchers tested their methods in a group of participants that were all 70 years old. They discovered that higher scores were associated with better health.  While lower healthy gene was found in in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  It’s still unclear if lower health genes could determine if a person will develop Alzheimer disease.

I think this research could lead to some amazing things in the future. If a patient knows their healthy genes are low they could take preventive measures as they get older. Hopefully they can find a direct relationship with all people with lower healthy genes and Alzheimer. The only downfall with the biological age is that insurance companies could charge more if a person biological age is higher than their chronological age. 

Can Your Genes Predict Your Future Health?

          "Age is just a number". It's a phrase that's been said time and time again by people who claim to feel as though they are in better condition than their age suggests. According to recent studies by a research team at King's College in the United Kingdom, that might just be the case.

          The research team, led by professor of precision medicine James Timmons, recently announced its study on a "gene signature" that has the potential to predict future health problems based on your underlying biological age. Blood samples collected from test subjects between the ages of 25 and 65 were used to analyze 150 classifier genes and then to calculate a “healthy age gene score” that could be used later to test underlying biological health of potential patients. To further observe the accuracy of the "gene score" relative to the actual health of patients, Timmons' research team tracked a group of 70-year-old participants for 20 years only to see that the "underlying biological age" varied greatly for each of the participants, independent of their identical ages.

          The research team hopes that their work can help slow the devastating effects of Alzheimer's before its onset. Yvette Brazier, writer of Medical News Today, writes:

"it is anticipated that novel genomic diagnostics such as this will help predict future health care needs, guide targeted preventive measures and enable individualized treatment strategies for a number of diseases experienced in older age."

          According to the UK's National Health Service, they hope that research like this will "transform diagnosis". As science develops and research techniques become more advanced, genetics will play a larger and larger role in the way that disease is treated and prevented in the medical field. Because of my future hope of working as a doctor in a trauma center, I personally look forward to future developments like these in the medical field. Science is single-handedly changing the way that patients are being cared for, and the future is promising with research like this!