| abstract |
The subject invention pertains to a method that involves at least three steps: (1) acquisition of a NMR data set or spin relaxation curve for plasma, serum or whole blood samples, or for tissues monitored from outside the body, (2) analysis of the NMR data or relaxation curve to extract the T 2 and/or T 1 relaxation times for water (or surrogates thereof), and (3) conversion of the water T 2 and/or T 1 values (or surrogates thereof) into a measure of someone's health status (referred to as a T 2 or T 1 health score depending on the value (T 1 or T 2 or both T 1 and T 2 ) associated with the score). The T 1 and/or T 2 health score utilizes a statistical database derived from previous studies of subjects ranging from normal, healthy individuals to those having varying degrees of hidden or non-hidden metabolic abnormalities, such as inflammation, insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities (dyslipidemia), oxidative stress, brain abnormalities, cognitive impairment or other disorders, and provides a measure of a subject's overall metabolic and brain health status. |