Intrinsic capacity (IC) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source as “all the physical and mental capacities that a person can draw on and includes their ability to walk, think, see, hear and remember.”
A person’s intrinsic capacity is influenced by a number of factors, including the presence of diseases, injuries and age-related changes.
Maintaining your intrinsic capacity is key to healthy aging. However, measuring intrinsic capacity has, until now, required sophisticated equipment and trained personnel.
, suggests that the IC clock could be a useful tool for tracking aging and guiding targeted interventions to maintain function in older age.
“One of the most critical aspects is that this test can be done with a simple blood or saliva sample, making it accessible and noninvasive. It tells us not just how old you are, but how well you are aging, which is much more meaningful to help inform which interventions should be implemented, if any, to help prevent future health problems,” Holland explained.
From blood and saliva tests, the researchers collected data on DNA methylationTrusted Source — a process that activates or deactivates genes. DNA methylation changes over time because of developmental mutations and environmental factors, and abnormal methylation patternsTrusted Source have been linked to several diseases.
They used this, and the age-related decline data, to construct an epigeneticTrusted Source predictor of IC (an “IC clock,” or DNAm IC), then evaluated associations between the IC clock and mortality.
And people with a high DNAm IC lived, on average, 5.5 years longer than those with a low DNAm IC.
Holland told us this was a very significant finding: “Scientifically, this reflects strong associations between high IC and better immune function, lower chronic inflammation, and reduced risk for diseases like hypertension, heart failure, stroke, and other age-related conditions.”
In everyone, intrinsic capacity declines with age, but there are measures that can help to slow that decline.
This study found that people with a high dietary intake of oily fish, and sugar intake that was within recommended guidelines (no more than 5% of total energy intake), were more likely to have a high DNAm IC.
Tunç Tiryaki, board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of the London Regenerative Institute, who was not involved in the recent study, explained the association:
About The Author
