Key points from article :
A new study led by researchers at Oxford Population Health and published in the European Journal of Epidemiology has revealed that a wide range of factors—including age, sex, lifestyle habits, and environmental conditions—can influence the levels of proteins circulating in our blood. Proteins are crucial for bodily functions and can serve as early indicators of disease, but until now, little was known about how everyday exposures affect the blood proteome.
The study measured 2,923 proteins in blood samples from 2,006 Chinese adults using advanced proteomics technology. Researchers found that nearly two-thirds of these proteins were associated with at least one of 37 factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, and even outdoor temperature. Some proteins were linked to multiple factors, with 25 proteins influenced by ten or more exposures. Co-lead author Dr. Andri Iona highlighted that factors like age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels were each linked to over 200 proteins, illustrating how intricately protein levels reflect individual biology.
The team also developed composite measures of lifestyle health and frailty, which were strongly associated with more than 300 proteins. According to co-lead author Dr. Baihan Wang, this indicates that the blood proteome is a sensitive marker of overall health. The findings were further validated in approximately 35,000 UK Biobank participants, where over 90% of key associations were replicated.
Senior authors Professor Derrick Bennett and Professor Zhengming Chen emphasized that these results not only confirm prior knowledge but also uncover new protein-environment relationships, offering valuable insights into chronic disease and general health. The research underscores the potential of proteomics to capture the complex interplay between biology, lifestyle, and environment, paving the way for future studies in diverse populations and disease prevention strategies.
