
A test that uses cells from the inside of your cheek may accurately predict the risk of death within the upcoming year, new research hints.
This study, published Oct. 1 in the journal Frontiers in Aging, offers promising support for CheekAge, a new tool that uses cheek — or "buccal" — samples to estimate a person's risk of dying within one year. In a group of adults ages 69 to 101, the test was strongly associated with the risk of death from any cause. A set increase in the study subjects' CheekAge corresponded to a 21% bump in their risk of death within the next 12 months.