Are your organs older than you are?

THE AGE OF YOUR BRAIN Although diseases such as Alzheimer’s aren’t inevitable with age, the process of aging remains the “greatest known risk factor,” notes Claire Sexton, senior director of

scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association, in an emailed statement. To complicate matters when studying the impact of a higher biological brain age, there’s a

chicken-and-egg challenge: “Does accelerated aging cause increased disease risk, or does disease cause accelerated aging?” Sexton asks. More study is needed to answer this. TESTS TO TAKE:

Researchers are hard at work trying to create an accessible blood test that can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s, with hopes of detecting it sooner so treatment could happen earlier. Research

published in _JAMA Neurology _in January found one such test performed as well as a more invasive method, drawing cerebrospinal fluid, to detect the disease. The test is commercially

available for research but not yet to consumers. Experts generally recommend that anyone with concerns about memory loss or cognitive deficits see a doctor for evaluation to better determine

if — and what — tests might be most helpful. WHAT YOU CAN DO: The Alzheimer’s Association advocates lifestyle changes similar to those recommended by the AHA — where heart and brain health

are intricately connected — to protect the aging brain. AARP has identified six pillars of brain health that can help keep your brain healthy as you age. They are: * Being social and staying

connected with others * Engaging your brain by learning new things and enjoying new experiences * Managing stress, including by exploring relaxation techniques * Exercising — at least 150

minutes of moderate-intensity activity such as walking * Making sure you’re getting restorative sleep * Eating well, incorporating brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in foods such as fish

and walnuts The Alzheimer’s Association also suggests pursuing the highest level of education possible, protecting your head by wearing a bike helmet and being careful to prevent falls. YOUR

KIDNEY’S BIOLOGICAL AGE Doctors caring for patients with multiple chronic conditions know that what affects one organ concerns others. That’s especially true with the kidneys, where

researchers found accelerated aging had a significant impact on metabolic health, which involves everything from cholesterol to blood sugar, heart health to diabetes. As the body’s filter

system, the kidneys remove waste from the blood and excess fluid from the body, a critical life-sustaining function. “If your kidneys are sick, there’s a good chance you have metabolic

problems … and that not only will your heart have difficulties but your blood vessels will, and so likely will your brain,” Weintraub says. The inverse is true too: Make those heart-, brain-

and other organ-healthy lifestyle changes, and your kidneys will benefit as well. TESTS TO TAKE: The primary method used to check kidney function is called the glomerular filtration rate

(GFR) test, which checks for the presence of a waste product called creatinine to determine how well kidneys filter the blood. A test called a urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR) is used

to check for damage. In addition to ongoing testing for those with confirmed kidney disease, people with conditions such as diabetes that put them at higher risk of developing kidney

problems should receive at least annual screening with these tests, says Joseph Vassalotti, M.D., chief medical officer at the National Kidney Foundation. That regular screening should start

immediately when people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and five years after diagnosis for those with type 1 diabetes.  WHAT YOU CAN DO: “Generally what people understand is a healthy

approach to living — that will help prevent kidney disease,” Vassalotti says. Among the ways to make a difference, he suggests a healthy diet, physical activity, not smoking and better

treatment and management of diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity. For more, please see 9 Ways to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy. ACT YOUR AGE Even though it’s common

knowledge people age (biologically at least) at different rates, much work remains to be done to understand why, says Douglas Vaughan, M.D., cardiologist and director of the Potocsnak

Longevity Institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The institute hopes to do randomized trials to determine if there are ways to slow the velocity of biological

aging. “It’s a very exciting time. We’re looking forward to starting those kinds of clinical trials,” Vaughan says. “But if somebody tells you they have the answer today, I would raise an

eyebrow.” That doesn’t mean you should wait for the results before making changes to help keep your organs from aging faster than you do. “The [_Nature_] study is interesting because it

shows the evidence that there is accelerated organ aging that we can see through proteins,” says Christopher Gold, D.O., a primary care physician at Mount Sinai Doctors Ansonia in New York

City. Even if we don’t yet have tests that provide a number for organ age, Gold says, everyone should work to reverse their risk factors. Experts emphasize that while researchers are

learning more about the causes of biological aging, there is plenty you can do today to help slow that process.