Simple urine test could reveal how long you have left to live

A new urine test could tell you if you’re going to die earlier than your peers, experts have claimed. 

Japanese researchers have developed an epigenetic ‘urine aging clock’ which is able to work out biological age from just a sample. 

Rather than a person’s actual age, this analyses how old cells are. 

Biological age can be affected by things like genetics, stress, sleep, nutrition and smoking, and can be higher or lower than a person’s actual age.

The scientists tracked over 6,300 patients who were undergoing cancer screenings where they took urine samples.

They were also quizzed on their daily habits including smoking and alcohol intake. 

Analysing tiny molecules of genetic material — known medically as miRNAs — in the samples, they then sequenced the data and involved algorithms to score participants. 

Models were developed separately for men and women for greater precision.  

Research has already suggested that certain miRNAs such as miR-155-5p and miR-34a-5p, when overexpressed may increase the rate at which cancer cells can develop and stop cell growth. 

The clock, they discovered could accurately predict your biological age, give or take 4.4 years on average.

Writing in the journal npj Aging, the scientists at Craif, a biotechnology startup in Nagoya, they said the test was slightly less accurate than a DNA-methylation clock.

These use specific DNA patterns to accurately assess biological ageing rate. 

The model however, ‘outperformed blood-based miRNA and mRNA clocks’, they added, meaning urine miRNA tests could be a ‘promising, truly non-invasive biomarkers of biological age and disease risk’. 

Interest of determining biological age has soared in recent years, largely spurred on by so-called longevity experts. 

Patients are drawn to the tests for personalized aging insights, however they are typically upwards of £200 per test. Wellness clinics now offer them routinely. 

Last year, research suggested life expectancy across the world will rise by almost five years by 2050, with the average man forecasted to live to 76 and woman, past 80.

The oldest living person in the world is now believed to be Ethel Caterham, from Surrey, who was born on August 21, 1909 and is 116 years old. 

The title of the oldest person to have ever lived belongs to French woman Jeanne Louise Calment whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days. 

Ms Caterham, who died in 1997, attributed her longevity to ‘never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like’.

Experts who have studied centenarians agree.

Physical activity, faith, love, companionship, and a sense of purpose make up the backbone of so-called ‘Blue Zones,’ or areas of the world where people typically live to 100 and beyond.

Maintaining an active lifestyle, even simply walking around town every day, has been shown to improve longevity.

Companionship has been shown to have a similarly positive effect on a person’s lifespan, with studies consistently showing loneliness is toxic.