Simple blood test could spot health risks years before symptoms

What if a simple blood test could reveal how fast your body is really aging? Imagine learning about health risks before symptoms ever show up. Scientists in Spain are working on just that.

A new study introduces a “metabolic clock” that could change how we track aging and disease.

The research comes from CIC bioGUNE, a member of BRTA, led by Professor José Mato and Dr. Óscar Millet. The tool predicts biological age and uncovers metabolic patterns linked to specific diseases. Unlike chronological age, biological age better reflects a person’s overall health.

Mapping age through blood

The team relied on NMR metabolomics, a technology that measures small molecules in the blood. Using machine learning, they trained a model to predict biological age.

The project drew on data from the AKRIBEA cohort, a large health study in the Basque Country. With contributions from the Mondragón Corporation, the final dataset included about 20,000 individuals across a wide age range.

“Our goal was to obtain an independent measure of age, beyond the information on a passport,” said Dr. Millet. “The importance of this study lies in the fact that discrepancies between chronological age and metabolic age within the metabolic space may reveal early markers of disease.”

Disease leaves hidden traces

The team applied their clock to blood samples from patients with various diseases. The results were striking. Prostate cancer patients showed an average metabolic age nearly five years older than their actual age. People with fatty liver disease had an even larger gap, averaging more than 14 years.

Different subtypes of fatty liver disease also revealed distinct aging patterns that went beyond what doctors typically expect to see.

These unique differences are difficult to capture with standard clinical tests, which often miss the finer details hidden in a patient’s blood chemistry.

The new approach shows how subtle metabolic signatures can highlight risks invisible to routine health checks, giving doctors the chance to spot problems much earlier. This could help tailor treatments to each person and provide a clearer picture of long-term health.

Clocks beyond the calendar

The idea of biological clocks is not new. Scientists have built clocks from DNA methylation, gene activity, protein levels, and even microbiome shifts.

Epigenetic clocks are among the most precise for matching chronological age, while transcriptomic and proteomic clocks highlight cellular changes tied to aging.

Metabolomic clocks, like this new one, bring a unique advantage: they directly reflect the state of metabolic health.

The researchers emphasized that these clocks are not perfect. A single measurement only offers a snapshot and can shift with illness or lifestyle changes. Population differences also affect accuracy, meaning recalibration may be needed across diverse groups.

Still, combining data from multiple sources could create powerful models for predicting healthspan and disease risk.

Blood test reveals health risks

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is central to this tool. Unlike other methods, NMR allows consistent, non-destructive measurement of many metabolites.

It captures details about glucose regulation, lipid profiles, and inflammation – processes strongly linked to aging. Markers such as GlycA and albumin, both tied to inflammation, emerged as important predictors in the model.

To make the clock clinically useful, the team built algorithms that also estimate 25 routine health markers. These include cholesterol, kidney function, and inflammation levels, all from the same blood sample.

By using techniques like SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations), the researchers could interpret which features most influenced predictions.

Broad view of patient health

Beyond predicting biological age, the platform estimates over 25 clinical parameters from the same blood sample.

These include markers for inflammation and kidney function. With one non-invasive test, doctors could gain a comprehensive view of patient health.

“The idea is to capture as much information as possible from existing clinical tests,” said Dr. Millet. “It is remarkable how much of this information is already encoded within a serum NMR spectrum.”

Monitoring health with metabolic clocks

This study builds on CIC bioGUNE’s long-term work in precision medicine. It also connects with the CIBERehd research network and the Complementary Plans in Biotechnology Applied to Health.

With more validation, the researchers hope to see the clock adopted across healthcare systems. Their vision is clear: using metabolic data to help people live longer, healthier lives.

The broader perspective suggests that metabolic clocks could become part of integrated health monitoring, alongside other biological clocks.

The technology’s scalability, accuracy, and non-invasive design make it a strong candidate for clinical use. In time, such models could help doctors move from reactive treatments to proactive care, where early warnings shape healthier aging.

The study is published in the journal npj Metabolic Health and Disease.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–