Longevity author and pioneer Peter Attia has co-founded a new US health and diagnostics clinic which aims to advance human lifespan.

Biograph, co-founded with John Hering, has opened what it calls “the world’s most advanced preventative health and diagnostics clinic” in the San Francisco Bay Area with plans to expand globally and open its second clinic in New York City later this year.

It aims to enable members to take full control of their health by assessing risk and insights across five critical health pillars: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, brain health and neurodegenerative disease, cancer risk and early detection, and quality of life metrics.

Attia, author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, says: “Diagnostics are foundational to evaluating and implementing an effective health strategy informed by a systems-based approach, as well as comprehensive analyses that consider each data point within the context of an individual’s entire health picture.

“Biograph’s evaluation is best in class, which is why I recommend my patients start here.”

Co-founder John Hering says: “Inspired by one of my best friend’s cancer diagnosis, Biograph was founded on the belief that with the proper application of advanced medical technology and early detection, we can save lives.

“There is no greater investment we can make in the future, as individuals or humanity, than in our health. With an approach rooted in scientific evidence, Biograph is poised to be an integral catalyst helping to redefine what it means to live a better and longer life.”

The preventive healthcare market is expected to reach US$773.1bn by 2034, driven in part by the paradigm shift away from a traditional treatment-focused health system to one that supports prevention and proactively identifies the root causes of aging.

Biograph’s assessment protocol has been developed with support from Dr Michael Doney, an emergency medicine physician turned precision longevity clinician and researcher.

He says: “My transition from emergency medicine to the preventive health field stemmed from a conviction that patients deserve a more comprehensive understanding of their health and well-being. Recognising the variability in quality among health tests, scans, and assessments, I was drawn to Biograph’s mission.

“We are committed to providing the most in-depth analysis of a broad range of health factors, enabling members to not only extend their lifespan but, more importantly, to optimise their healthspan and overall quality of life.”

A new UK service aimed at supporting older people who are starting to become frail, could reduce emergency hospital admissions by more than a third and save the NHS money.

The results from the clinical trial, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), evaluated the effect and cost-effectiveness of a new service, consisting of six personalised home-based visits from a support worker, tailored to each person to identify what they need to stay well and independent.

Interventions could include home exercise programmes, nutritional support to improve energy levels, improving mental wellbeing and increasing social connections.

The researchers tested the service with 388 people, who were over the age of 65 and assessed as having “mild frailty”, across three areas of the UK (London, Hertfordshire and Yorkshire). Of these participants, 195 people were randomly allocated to receive the service, while 193 received their usual care, with no additional support.

Frailty is when someone is less able to recover after a health problem. It is common in people over 65 and increases disability, hospitalisations and care needs.

Participants in the trial were followed up for one year.

The researchers found that people who received the service had a 35% reduction in unplanned hospital admissions, leading to an average saving of £586 per person to the NHS over the year of the study.

Lead author, Professor Kate Walters (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “We developed the new service in partnership with experts, older people and carers, with the hope of helping people with mild frailty to maintain their independence and stay healthy for longer.

“We found that by providing personalised home-based support to those in need, we can significantly reduce emergency hospital admissions and potentially free up hospital resources. Our study demonstrates the impact of tailored interventions on maintaining independence and improving overall well-being.”

The researchers found that there were additional benefits to the service, including small improvements in wellbeing, psychological distress and frailty score.

However, the new service didn’t improve levels of independence in self-care.

NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme director, Andrew Farmer, said: “The HomeHealth intervention can help older adults with mild frailty stay independent, improving quality of life and overall well-being, while reducing hospital and care costs.

“By addressing key factors like strength, nutrition, and social engagement, it can reduce deterioration and the need for intensive support.

“High quality research such as this is an important part of improving future health and care practice.”

With the right funding and support, the researchers hope the service could be available to patients across the country within two years.

Professor Walters added: “By investing in preventative measures, the health service may be able to reap benefits of savings elsewhere in the system.”

The research was carried out in collaboration with Age UK.

A new study of nearly a million emergency admissions in Norway has found increased mortality in the elderly who live in the countryside compared to those that live in the city.

Research shows that elderly people living in rural areas have higher mortality rates if they are discharged to a municipality under pressure. Additionally, the research found that elderly people over the age of 70 who live in a municipality with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants are particularly vulnerable.

The research has been carried out in light of the growing population in Norway which is set to see 250,000 more Norwegians over the age of 80.

The study

Gudrun Maria Waaler Bjørnelv, associate professor of Health Economics at NTNU, is concerned that municipal authorities in Norway may not be prepared for an ageing population.

Working with a research team from NTNU, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim Municipal Authority and SINTEF, Bjørnelv has studied all Norwegians over the age of 70 who were admitted to emergency departments from 2012 to 2016, which amounted to just over 350,000 people.

This group of elderly people had almost 900,000 emergency hospital admissions during this period. The researchers followed them for 30 days after the day they were admitted.

Nursing and care services that were under pressure led to increased mortality in elderly who were under their care, and that elderly people in small municipalities had the highest mortality rate.

A small municipality was defined as having fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. According to Statistics Norway, 70% of Norwegian municipalities in 2016 had fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. In total, 17% of the population lives in a small municipality.

Bjørnelv stated: “Previously, it was thought that small municipalities do better than large municipalities, because they have fewer patients in hospitals waiting to be discharged to the municipal services.

“Our findings, however, indicate that small municipalities are more vulnerable during periods when the demand for nursing and care services is higher than the municipality can supply.”

“We need to take a closer look at the municipal services, and it needs to happen now.”

Bjørnelv points out that small municipalities may experience more pressure regarding demand for available nursing home places and health professionals.

“This may make them more vulnerable to fluctuations and pressure on health services,” Bjørnelv said.

To investigate how mortality rates among patients changed, the researchers relied on information regarding the amount of pressure individual municipalities were under.

“If there is a build-up of patients who are ready to be discharged from hospital to one municipality, this suggests that the municipal services such as home care and nursing homes are under pressure. It shows that they do not have the capacity to receive these patients,” stated Bjørnelv.

The study investigated how mortality rates changed if people were admitted to emergency departments during periods of increased pressure in the municipality. That would be during periods where many people from the same municipality as the acutely admitted patient were waiting to be discharged from hospital.

“Is there a greater tendency to move some people home after hospitalisation rather than to a municipal short-term care facility if the municipality is under pressure? Is it better for elderly people from a pressured municipality to longer in the hospital – without the municipality having to pay a ‘fine’ to the hospital? What is best for the patient?” Bjørnelv said.