ArcaMax

Picture this: Your eye doctor photographs your retina and lets you know, not about your vision, but about how fast you are aging, your level of body-wide inflammation and if you are at risk for heart disease or premature mortality.

That's the conclusion of a study in Science Advances. Researchers reviewed data on the small blood vessels in the retina of more than 74,000 folks and found that when those vessels are less branched, it indicates advanced aging and the risk of heart disease.

To top it off, the researchers identified two proteins that are linked to inflammation and blood vessel aging. That, they say, may help in the identification of drug targets for slowing vascular aging, reducing cardiovascular diseases, and improving lifespan.

This makes me think about how all your senses are inter-related and play a role in alerting you to potentially life-altering conditions so you can take action to reverse, prevent or slow premature aging. Attending to hearing loss helps protect you from dementia; addressing loss of taste may let you figure out if you have long COVID-19 or Parkinson's disease. Loss of the ability to smell, which is often related to loss of taste, can also alert you to undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

So, it makes perfect sense to embrace the 30-plus ways to keep your senses sharp and your ActualAge as young as possible that I set out in my book "The Great Age Reboot" and to consider therapeutic plasma exchange to get rid of those undesired proteins.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.

(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.