Our bodies undergo many changes as we age, some of which might affect our health. To better understand these changes, scientists study something called ‘cell-free DNA\' (cfDNA) in our blood. This cfDNA can give us clues about our health and the risk of diseases like cancer or heart conditions.In our research, we analyzed cfDNA from the blood of 35 people to identify patterns associated with aging. We discovered that approximately 2000 specific spots in our DNA change in a way that\'s linked to aging. These changes might help us figure out someone\'s biological age – essentially, how old their body seems based on various health factors, which can differ from their actual age.We also found that these DNA changes could indicate how aging might make the body\'s defense system – which fights off diseases – react more intensely. Understanding this could be crucial for managing health as we get older.Our study suggests that cfDNA could be a useful marker for aging, offering a new approach to understanding and possibly managing the health effects associated with growing older.
随着年龄的增长,我们的身体会发生许多变化,其中一些可能会影响我们的健康。为了更好地理解这些变化,科学家在我们的血液中研究一种叫做“无细胞DNA”(cfDNA)的东西。这种cfDNA可以为我们提供有关健康和癌症或心脏病等疾病风险的线索。在我们的研究中,我们分析了35人血液中的cfDNA,以确定与衰老相关的模式。我们发现,在我们的DNA中大约有2000个特定的斑点以一种与衰老有关的方式发生变化。这些变化可能会帮助我们弄清楚某人的生物年龄-本质上,根据各种健康因素,他们的身体看起来有多大,这可能与他们的实际年龄不同。我们还发现,这些DNA变化可能表明衰老可能使身体的防御系统-抵抗疾病-反应更强烈。随着年龄的增长,了解这一点对于管理健康至关重要。我们的研究表明,cfDNA可能是衰老的有用标记,提供了一种新的方法来理解并可能管理与年龄增长相关的健康影响。