Make your own health measurable by blood test

Research on biomarkers: measuring health in the blood
In medicine, there are many readings that can show illnesses. However, more and more emphasis is being placed on preventive action, which is why there should be parameters for factors that indicate health. These would also be important for check-ups or lifestyle change programs. In an international project, biomarkers are now to be researched that make the status "healthy" measurable.

Recognize or predict diseases through blood tests
Using blood tests, many diseases can be detected or even predicted. For example, experts from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) recently reported that it could be possible in the future to detect cancer via a blood sample more quickly. And scientists from the UK found that a simple blood test can predict the risk of a heart attack. Measurements of health-related factors are missing so far. That should change now.

Although you can detect or predict diseases with the help of blood tests for a long time already. Measurements of health-related factors are missing so far. That should change now. (Image: Barabas Attila / fotolia.com)

Medicine wants to be more preventive
In the future, medicine would like to be increasingly proactive. Therefore, measurement methods that indicate a change from "healthy" to "sick" are becoming increasingly important for the scientists.

These research approaches are also a focus in the Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation Research". In a project headed by the Kiel physician Professor Matthias Laudes, biomarkers are now to be researched that make the status "healthy" measurable.

Evaluate the success of a therapy using biomarkers
There are many biomarkers in medicine today. These are certain readings in the blood that can indicate a condition. These biomarkers are very important for the attending physicians to evaluate the success of a therapy.

An example of this is the HbA1c value, which indicates how well a diabetic is set. Unfortunately, such biomarkers are only available for diseases, but not for health.

Especially for preventive examinations or lifestyle change programs, preventive medical professionals would want such measuring instruments. This question is now pursuing an international research alliance (BioNUGUT).

Indicators of a healthy lifestyle
The project is coordinated by Professor Matthias Laudes, board member of the Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation Research", Faculty of Medicine at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel and Head of Clinical Nutritional and Metabolic Medicine at the Department of Internal Medicine 1 at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein.

"Over the past decade, we've learned that health is a state where all of our body cells are in harmony with all the bacteria in us and on us," Lauds said in a statement.

If this symbiosis is disturbed, diseases such as diabetes and intestinal inflammation could develop.

Therefore, the researchers are now looking for factors that indicate the healthy coexistence of us humans with all our intestinal bacteria, so that they can later be used as indicators of a healthy lifestyle in prevention programs.

The study involves not only European working groups but also a female scientist from Canada. In this way, the participants want to investigate whether the new biomarkers for health are subject to geographical features.

Initial results are expected by the scientists in about three years. (Ad)