Artificial Intelligence Detects Early Signs of Aging from Chest X-Rays

Artificial intelligence may be able to reveal how fast your body is aging by analyzing a chest X-ray, according to a new study published in The Journals of Gerontology. Researchers found that a deep learning model was able to detect subtle, age-related changes in the heart, lungs, and overall health more effectively than leading DNA-based “epigenetic clocks.”

The study, entitled “Deep learning chest X-ray age, epigenetic aging clocks, and associations with age-related subclinical disease in the Project Baseline Health Study,” compared the AI model — known as CXR-Age — to two widely used biological age measures derived from DNA methylation: Horvath Age and DNAm PhenoAge. Researchers analyzed data from 2,097 adults participating in the Project Baseline Health Study, a multi-site U.S. research initiative designed to better understand health and disease over time.

CXR-Age showed strong associations with early signs of heart and lung aging, including coronary calcium, worsening lung function, greater frailty, and elevated levels of proteins linked to neuroinflammation and aging. By contrast, the DNA-based clocks showed weaker or no associations — especially among middle-aged adults.

“These findings suggest that deep learning applied to common medical images can reveal how our organs are aging — information that might one day help clinicians identify people at risk of age-related disease before symptoms develop,” said Douglas P. Kiel, MD, MPH, director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, a co-author of the study. “AI tools like this could become an important complement to traditional risk assessments.”

The researchers concluded that AI-derived CXR-Age may serve as a better indicator of cardiopulmonary aging than existing epigenetic aging clocks, highlighting the potential of medical imaging and machine learning to advance personalized, preventive medicine.

In addition to Dr. Kiel, the study was conducted by Jay Chandra, BA, research associate, Cardiovascular Imaging Research Cener (CIRC); Sarah Short, MPH, research project manager, instructor, Harvard Medical School and research associate, Children’s Hospital, Boston; Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, vice chair of clinical research (Department of Medicine), section chief of preventive cardiology, and associate director of the Center for Digital Health, Stanford University; David J. Maron, MD,  C.F. Rehnborg professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine; Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine (Cardiology) and Member, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine; Adrian F. Hernandez, MD, MHS, professor of medicine and vice dean for clinical research, Duke University School of Medicine; Kenneth W. Mahaffey, MD, MHS, director, Stanford Center for Clinical Research, associate dean, Clinical Research School of Medicine and vice chair of Clinical Research Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine; Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS, Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases, associate dean for translational research, director of the Duke Center for Precision Health and the Precision Genomics Collaboratory, Duke University School of Medicine; Michael T. Lu, MD, MPH, director of AI and co-director of the MGH Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center (CIRC), director of the MGH Imaging Trials Center (MITC), associate chair of imaging science for the MGH Department of Radiology, MGH.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across seven campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $87 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making.