'Old' brains increase risk of death, Alzheimer's, study says
People with "young" brains -- brains aging more slowly than their actual age -- are much less likely to die or develop Alzheimer's disease than those with "old" brains suffering from accelerated aging, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature Medicine.
Results show that having an extremely aged brain nearly triples a person's risk of dying during a roughly 15-year period.
At the same time, people with extremely youthful brains had a 40% lower risk of early death, researchers found.
In other words, the biological age of the brain plays an outsized role in determining how long a person has left to live, said senior researcher Tony Wyss-Coray, director of the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford Medicine.
"The brain is the gatekeeper of longevity," he said. "If you've got an old brain, you have an increased likelihood of mortality. If you've got a young brain, you're probably going to live longer."
Previous research has shown that a person's body can age from wear-and-tear more rapidly that what is reflected by their birth date. Essentially, a person's biological age can be older than their calendar age.
For this study, researchers analyzed blood samples from nearly 44,500 people 40 to 70 participating in the UK Biobank, a large-scale health research project in the United Kingdom.
Researchers used proteins found in the blood samples to estimate the biological age of 11 distinct organs or organ systems for each person, including the brain.
About 6% to 7% of participants had "extremely youthful" brains, and a similar proportion had "extremely aged" brains.
Overall, researchers found that any organ's biological age increased its likelihood of disease.
For example, an extremely aged heart increased risk of abnormal heart rhythm or heart failure, and aged lungs increased COPD risk.
But the association between an aged brain and Alzheimer's was particularly powerful - more than three times that of a person with a normally aging brain, researchers said.
On the other hand, people with youthful brains had a quarter of the Alzheimer's risk linked to brains that were aging normally, the study found.
In other words, someone with a biologically old brain is about 12 times as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's as a person the same age with a biologically young brain, researchers concluded.
These results could open the door to new medical screenings that could determine people's risk for various diseases based on the biological age of their organs, Wyss-Coray said.
Future research also could figure out whether existing approved drugs might restore organ youth before people develop a disease based on that aging organ, he added.
"This is, ideally, the future of medicine," Wyss-Coray said. "Today, you go to the doctor because something aches, and they take a look to see what's broken. We're trying to shift from sick care to health care and intervene before people get organ-specific disease."
Wyss-Coray plans to commercialize the blood sample test, working with companies to get it on the market within a few years.
"The cost will come down as we focus on fewer key organs, such as the brain, heart and immune system, to get more resolution and stronger links to specific diseases," he said.
More information
The Mayo Clinic has more on biological versus chronological age.
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Acquisition strengthens Obagi Medical's product portfolio with proven, scientifically backed, injectable portfolio New products position Obagi Medical at the forefront of health, beauty and aesthetics convergence LONDON, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waldencast plc (NASDAQ: WALD) ('Waldencast'), a global multi-brand beauty and wellness platform, today announced that it has acquired Novaestiq Corp. (Novaestiq), a growth-oriented aesthetic and medical dermatological innovations company, as well as the U.S. rights to the Saypha® line of hyaluronic acid (HA) injectable gels. The strategic acquisition expands Obagi Medical's offerings beyond U.S. medical-grade skincare, a market projected to be $2.2 billion by 2029, into the growing U.S. dermal filler market, projected to reach $2 billion in market size by 2029, effectively doubling its addressable market.1 The move marks a pivotal step in positioning Obagi Medical as an industry leader in integrated skincare and aesthetic solutions. 'We are excited to further diversify Obagi Medical's portfolio of medical-grade skincare with consumer centric, in-office injectable procedures through the introduction of the Obagi Medical Saypha® ChIQ™ and MagIQ™ lines of injectable HA gels,' said Michel Brousset, Co-Founder and CEO of Waldencast. 'Adding proven products into our portfolio increases our addressable market and allows us to deliver solutions for professionals and patients seeking both skincare and aesthetic treatments, all under the trusted Obagi Medical brand.' Obagi Medical's philosophy advocates for a holistic, science-driven approach where potent skincare and professional procedures work in tandem to achieve and maintain optimal skin health and a youthful appearance. 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Core pivotal studies are more than twice the size of typical nasolabial fold (NLF) and midface trials and include the highest representation of Fitzpatrick Skin Types I, V, and VI – underscoring Obagi Medical's mission to provide effective solutions for all skin types and tones. Saypha® is distinguished by its proprietary technology delivering advanced HA treatments through a stable 3D matrix designed to provide natural-looking results with optimally balanced gel characteristics. This technology powers a portfolio of clinically proven products that lead in multiple performance categories including high HA content at injection, ideal gel distribution, and consistent injection force and swelling behavior. Saypha®, a product of Croma-Pharma GmbH, is developed and manufactured in Austria and marketed in over 80 countries, leveraging 40 years of expertise in HA-based treatments with more than 110 million syringes produced. 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