Helsinki, Finland (ISJ): Finnish scientists have come up with a new method to predict mortality through blood analysis. The method, based on a study by scientists at Universities of Oulu and Eastern Finland, first of its kind in the world, reveals short-term mortality can be predicted with the aid of analysis biomarkers. The new blood analysis was developed by scientists at the Universities of Oulu and Eastern Finland over nearly ten years.
The method is based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and it enables determination of over 200 biomarkers for body metabolism in one blood samples. However, the method is still in the nascent stage and more research is needed for possible clinical application in human healthcare, said a press release of the University of Eastern Finland. Mortality is related to four biomarkers in the blood – levels of two proteins (albumin and alpha-1 acidic glycoprotein), lipid metabolism variables (size of large lipoprotein particles responsible for lipid metabolism in the body) and citric acid concentration. These biomarkers relate to normal metabolism and are present in the blood of all people, but according to the study, their relative amounts are crucial. The biomarkers were independent of known mortality risk factors such as age, smoking, alcohol use, cholesterol, obesity, and blood pressure. It is also associated with mortality in healthy subjects with no diagnosed diabetes, cancer or vascular diseases.’ The new method gives hope to identify possible risk of death at an early stage, so that appropriate follow-up examinations and treatment can be done. The new blood analysis method has been applied in recent years extensively for the research of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Application of this methodology has also provided new information on the health effects of long-term exercise.
