Scientists from King’s College London have found that people with mental illness have their bodies aging faster and their biological age is higher. The study was presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry.
The authors analyzed data from more than 110,000 patients from the British Biobank. They looked at the relationship between depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder and 168 different blood metabolites.
People with bipolar disorder had blood markers that showed they were about 2 years older than their biological real age.
A 2019 study found that men with mental health problems live, on average, 10 years less than the general population, and women live seven years less. The authors believe that accelerated biological aging may be an important factor in this observation.
The scientists hope that the markers they identify can be used by psychiatrists to make more effective recommendations for improving patients’ physical health.