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Levine’s Biological age calculator is embedded as an Excel file in this link: https://atomic-temporary-71218033.wpcomstaging.com/2019/09…
In order to slow aging, it’s important to know how circulating biomarkers change during aging, and how these biomarkers are associated with risk of death for all causes. In this video, I discuss blood test data for the oldest old, including centenarians (100 – 104y), semi-centenarians (105 – 109y), and super-centenarians (110y+).
In an earlier post (https://michaellustgarten.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/maximizing-health-and-lifespan-is-calorie-restriction-essential/), I documented my aging.ai biologic age for 13 blood test measurements from 2016 – 2019. If you missed that post, here are those data:
Note that note my average biologic age has slowly increased from 2016 to 2019, from 28y in 2016 (2 measurements), to 29.25y in 2017 (6 measurements), to 29.5y in 2018 (6 measurements), to 30y in my June 2019 measurement.
To gain more insight into my 2019 prediction for biologic age, I kept measuring. On September 17, 2019, I had my worst biological age to date, 33y, based on the blood test data below:
Seeing a biological age that high (for me) was the motivation that I needed to finally stick to a mild caloric restriction, which I hypothesized would positively affect my biological age. I wrote about this in my recent Phenotypic Age post (https://michaellustgarten.wordpress.com/2019/11/01/biological-age-31-3y-chronological-age-46y/). Did it work? Shown below is my blood test data for October 29th.
Based on that data, my biological age was 28y, and when averaging the 3 measurements in 2019 (so far!), my average biological age is 29.67y. When considering that my average biological age in 2016 was 28y, it looks like I’ve only aged ~1.7 years in 3.58 years of elapsed time!
If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
Platelets are one of the 19 variables that are included in the biological age calculator, aging.ai. The reference range is 150-400 platelets per nanoliter (*10^9/L), but within that range, what’s optimal?
In a study of 21,635 adults older than 35y (average age wasn’t reported), platelets between 230-270 were associated with a maximally reduced risk of death from all causes (Bonaccio et al. 2016):
Similarly, in a study of 21,252 adults (average age 53y), values ~250 were associated with maximally reduced risk of death from all causes Vinholt et al. (2017) :
What about in older adults? In a study of 159,746 postmenopausal women (average age, 63y), maximally reduced risk of death from all causes was associated with platelet values between 200-256 (Kabat et al. 2017).
In a smaller study (36,262 older adults, average age, 71y), platelet values ~250 were associated with maximally reduced risk for all-cause mortality. Interestingly, even at platelet values ~250, mortality risk was highest for non-Hispanic whites, when compared with lower mortality risk for non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics (Msaouel et al. 2014):
In 5,766 older adults (average age, 73y), platelets higher than 200-300 was associated with an increased risk of death from all causes (van der Bom et al 2009). Risk for values between 100-199 was not different when compared against 200-299, but there was a non-significant trend towards increased risk (1.05, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.14).
In 131,308 older adults (~73y), maximally reduced risk of death from all causes was associated with platelet values between 200-300, whereas risk significantly increased below and above that range, respectively Tsai et al. (2015):
In sum, the data suggests that platelet values ~250 may be optimal for heath, with 200-300 as the “optimal range” within the 150-400 reference range. What are my values? Over the past 16 years, I’ve measured my platelets 25 times, and 6x, my platelets were below this 200-300 range. I’m not too worried about it, though, as most of my measurements are within that range!
Are there any variables that are correlated with platelets? For me, the strongest correlation over 18 tracked blood tests from 2015 – 2019 is my body weight. As my weight increases, my platelets are higher (r = 0.64, p-value = 0.006). Platelets have been reported to increase in association with elevated inflammation (CRP; Izzi et al. 2018), but I only have 3 co-measurements for CRP with platelets. I have a blood test scheduled for next week, more data coming soon!
If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
References
Bonaccio M, Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, De Curtis A, Donati MB, Cerletti C, de Gaetano G, Iacoviello L; MOLI-SANI Investigators. Age-sex-specific ranges of platelet count and all-cause mortality: prospective findings from the MOLI-SANI study. Blood. 2016 Mar 24;127(12):1614-6.
Izzi B, Bonaccio M, de Gaetano G, Cerletti C. Learning by counting blood platelets in population studies: survey and perspective a long way after Bizzozero. J Thromb Haemost. 2018 Sep;16(9):1711-1721. doi: 10.1111/jth.14202.
Kabat GC, Kim MY, Verma AK, Manson JE, Lin J, Lessin L, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Rohan TE. Platelet count and total and cause-specific mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative. Ann Epidemiol. 2017 Apr;27(4):274-280.
Msaouel P, Lam AP, Gundabolu K, Chrysofakis G, Yu Y, Mantzaris I, Friedman E, Verma A. Abnormal platelet count is an independent predictor of mortality in the elderly and is influenced by ethnicity. Haematologica. 2014 May;99(5):930-6.
Tsai MT, Chen YT, Lin CH, Huang TP, Tarng DC; Taiwan Geriatric Kidney Disease Research Group. U-shaped mortality curve associated with platelet count among older people: a community-based cohort study. Blood. 2015 Sep 24;126(13):1633-5.
Vinholt PJ, Hvas AM, Frederiksen H, Bathum L, Jørgensen MK, Nybo M. Thromb Res.Platelet count is associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality: A population-based cohort study. 2016 Dec;148:136-142.
Michael Lustgarten 