Plasma is a critical component in the treatment of many serious health problems. This is why there are frequent blood drives encouraging people to donate blood plasma.
A simple blood test can now be used to estimate your 'biological age'. Biological age, unlike chronological age, looks at how your body id developing or breaking down compared to the average. Knowing this can help identify the people most at risk of age-related diseases, such as dementia.
By measuring telomeres, some scientists believe they can determine biological age, which doesn't always equal chronological age. That means some people may be biologically older or younger than their age, said Jerry Shay, professor and vice chairman of cell biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.