Abstract: UK Biobank has completed one of its most ambitious efforts yet: profiling blood metabolites from nearly 500,000 volunteers across the UK. These small molecules, byproducts of how our cells use energy offer a real-time snapshot of what’s happening inside the body, shaped by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. By linking each blood profile to years of medical records, researchers can trace how subtle chemical changes today relate to diseases diagnosed a decade later. Using advanced nuclear magnetic resonance technology, nearly 250 metabolites were measured at population scale, opening new ways to spot disease risk earlier than symptoms appear.
What makes this biobank-powered approach especially powerful is depth over time. Thousands of participants returned for repeat sampling, allowing scientists to see which metabolic changes are temporary and which signal long-term risk. These patterns are already shedding light on heart disease, cancer, brain health, and even mental wellbeing. Because metabolites change with diet, exercise, and treatment, they may become practical tools for prevention not just prediction. As metabolomics joins genetics and proteomics within biobanks, blood samples are becoming living records of health, helping researchers understand not only who gets sick, but when and why.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/blood-metabolite-test-detects-diseases-up-to-ten-years-before-symptoms-appear/
