Recent studies have shown that elevated concentrations of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) may be a protective host factor against the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), whereas low levels of UCB are associated with the opposite effect. The results of this European study, in which 2,489 samples were tested for their UCB concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and additional data from the MARK-AGE database were used for analysis, provide further evidence that elevated UCB concentrations are linked to a lower risk of developing NCDs and may act as a predictive marker of biological aging as individuals with elevated UCB concentrations showed favorable outcomes in metabolic health and oxidative-stress-related biomarkers. These findings underline the significance of studying individuals with moderate hyperbilirubinemia and investigate UCB routinely, also in the setting of aging, since this condition affects millions of people worldwide but has been underrepresented in clinical research and practice until now.

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Overview publication

TitleAssociation between bilirubin and biomarkers of metabolic health and oxidative stress in the MARK-AGE cohort.
DateJuly 19th, 2024
Issue nameiScience
Issue numberv27.7:110234
DOI10.1016/j.isci.2024.110234
PubMed39021797
AuthorsSchoissengeier V, Maqboul L, Weber D, Grune T, Bürkle A, Moreno-Villaneuva M, Franceschi C, Capri M, Bernhard J, Toussaint O, Debacq-Chainiaux F, Weinberger B, Gonos ES, Sikora E, Dollé M, Jansen E, Slagboom PE, Hervonnen A, Hurme M, Breusing N, Frank J, Bulmer AC & Wagner KH
Keywordshuman metabolism, pathology, public health
Read Read publication