Feeling older than your age? Biological age and actual age are two different things. How can you find out what your biological age is? And what can you do to slow your aging down? Read the article to find out more.
“Age is just a number” is not only a classical saying you hear on your 40th birthday; it is scientifically proven. You and every person you know have two ages. There is one you already know and one you might not. The one that you know is the chronological age. The other one is your biological age. What is the difference between them?
People will celebrate your birthday every year, but your cells will not. Cells reflect the biological age, which is the physiological age. Because it measures the health and function of the tissues and organs, it is called physiological.
Chronological age vs. biological age
Have you ever observed two people who have spent the same years on this earth and almost have the same genes? However, one twin looks older than the other does. It is because the aging process occurs at a different pace for different people. Lifestyle choices influence aging.
What is chronological age?
Chronological age measures the amount of time that has passed from your birth date to today’s day. It’s the number of years, months, and days that you’ve been alive. You cannot modify your chronological age.
What is biological age?
Biological age, also known as physiological or functional age, reflects your health status. It is the result of the accumulation that happens to cells and tissues in the body. Knowing your biological age helps predict the risk of age-related diseases and mortality.
Your body organs age at a different rate. Each of your organs has a different biological age. For example, a person who spends a lot of time looking at screens but also has a balanced diet and exercise could have eyes with a high biological age and a heart with a lower biological age (1).
The difference between chronological and biological age is that you can reverse the latter one.
Do you want to find out what your biological age is? Healthy Longevity Clinic offers diagnostic testing that determines the biological age. In addition to other tests that can be done at the clinic, this test provides insight into your health risk and longevity. After assessing your body’s internal age, experts at our clinic will provide you with a personalized program with integrated lifestyle modification and needed supplements to help you decrease your physiological age, extend your life, and stay healthy into your later years. Book a free consultation to learn more.
Why does biological age matter?
The first step to understanding your health profile is to know your biological age. Biological age indicates how much damage has occurred to your body's cellular and metabolic functions. It predicts age-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality risk better than chronological age (2, 3).
If your biological age equals your actual age, it could mean that your body is aging at the right pace. However, let’s suppose your biological age is lower than your chronological age. In that case, it indicates that your body is aging slower than the body of a typical person at your age. And on the contrary, if your physiological age is higher than the chronological one, it means your body is in a worse state than it should.
How is the biological age determined?
Research has identified two things that determine biological age. They are:
1. Telomeres
Telomere length is considered one of the best indicators of biological aging. Telomeres protect your chromosomes which hold your genetic identity. They form a cap at the end of each chromosome. Every time the cell divides, it loses part of this protective cap. The loss of these parts, known as telomere shortening, is considered one of the aging hallmarks (2).
A study showed that people with shorter telomeres are more likely to suffer from neurological disorders, chronic illness, and early mortality. You might have shorter telomeres than someone the same age as you, making you biologically older.
There are several scientifically backed-up interventions and changes that you can follow to slow down telomere shortening. For example, adding physical activity to your daily routine can help lengthen telomeres (3). However, it is highly individual and you should first undergo telomere length analysis.
2. DNA methylation
Your DNA is constantly changing by many mechanisms that turn genes on and off based on your body’s needs. The process by which gene activation is maintained is called DNA methylation (4). By assessing the DNA methylation of more than 8000 samples of different body organs and tissues, researchers concluded not all tissues had the same age. This proves that each body part ages at a different rate (5). The average physiological age of each organ in your body predicts your cumulative biological age.
With the right biological age diagnostic tools and experts, you can help your body manipulate aging by integrating a personalized program at Healthy Longevity Clinic.
With aging, some DNA regions undergo an increase in methylation, while others have a decrease in methylation levels. For example, 60% of cells from a sample showing DNA methylation at one site of the genome can be matched with a specific chronological or biological age (6).
Factors that influence your biological age
There has been progress in identifying the factors that directly affect your biological age. It is not a single factor; there is no guarantee that a healthy lifestyle will improve your biological age. Nonetheless, there are several things that you should be aware of to reverse your biological age. These factors include the following:
Genetics
Genetics influence every aspect of your health, including your biological age. Some genes directly influence age-related diseases. The expression of these genes can either prolong or shorten your biological age. The GenAge database now lists over 300 human aging-related genes, and the LongevityMap database of human genetic association studies contains over 500 results. Mutations of these genes can cause premature aging syndromes (7). Indeed, you cannot change your DNA, but knowing your genetic predispositions can influence your lifestyle choices to promote longevity. Book a free consultation to learn how we can test your genetics.
Diet
Diet plays an integral role in biological aging. Diet can either play an anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory role. Increasing plant-based protein intake reduces CVD risk and many biomarkers associated with it, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, which affect biological age (8, 9). A balanced diet that includes high amounts of vegetables, fruits, and lower sodium was linked to lower biological age and a slower rate of aging (10).
Exercise
Exercise and staying physically active boost the immune system, maintain healthy body weight, and lower the risk of inflammation. Studies show that compared to individuals who lead a sedentary lifestyle, those who exercise 150 minutes per week have aging markers nine years younger (11). Researchers found that people who add aerobic exercise to their routine were approximately 5.5 years more youthful than sedentary people (12).
Other factors
Other factors, such as sleep, stress, and physical environment, affect biological aging. Poor sleep has negatively impacts biological age and longevity (13). The environment contains numerous toxins that can speed up your biological age (14).
Get your biological age tested
At Healthy Longevity Clinic, you can choose from different programs aimed at improving your longevity. We will test your biological age and other biomarkers to design a highly personalized plan for optimizing your health and slowing down your rate of aging. Book a free consultation with a longevity expert to learn more.
“Age is just a number” is not only a classical saying you hear on your 40th birthday; it is scientifically proven. You and every person you know have two ages. There is one you already know and one you might not. The one that you know is the chronological age. The other one is your biological age. What is the difference between them?
People will celebrate your birthday every year, but your cells will not. Cells reflect the biological age, which is the physiological age. Because it measures the health and function of the tissues and organs, it is called physiological.
Chronological age vs. biological age
Have you ever observed two people who have spent the same years on this earth and almost have the same genes? However, one twin looks older than the other does. It is because the aging process occurs at a different pace for different people. Lifestyle choices influence aging.
What is chronological age?
Chronological age measures the amount of time that has passed from your birth date to today’s day. It’s the number of years, months, and days that you’ve been alive. You cannot modify your chronological age.
What is biological age?
Biological age, also known as physiological or functional age, reflects your health status. It is the result of the accumulation that happens to cells and tissues in the body. Knowing your biological age helps predict the risk of age-related diseases and mortality.
Your body organs age at a different rate. Each of your organs has a different biological age. For example, a person who spends a lot of time looking at screens but also has a balanced diet and exercise could have eyes with a high biological age and a heart with a lower biological age (1).
The difference between chronological and biological age is that you can reverse the latter one.
Do you want to find out what your biological age is? Healthy Longevity Clinic offers diagnostic testing that determines the biological age. In addition to other tests that can be done at the clinic, this test provides insight into your health risk and longevity. After assessing your body’s internal age, experts at our clinic will provide you with a personalized program with integrated lifestyle modification and needed supplements to help you decrease your physiological age, extend your life, and stay healthy into your later years. Book a free consultation to learn more.
Why does biological age matter?
The first step to understanding your health profile is to know your biological age. Biological age indicates how much damage has occurred to your body's cellular and metabolic functions. It predicts age-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality risk better than chronological age (2, 3).
If your biological age equals your actual age, it could mean that your body is aging at the right pace. However, let’s suppose your biological age is lower than your chronological age. In that case, it indicates that your body is aging slower than the body of a typical person at your age. And on the contrary, if your physiological age is higher than the chronological one, it means your body is in a worse state than it should.
How is the biological age determined?
Research has identified two things that determine biological age. They are:
1. Telomeres
Telomere length is considered one of the best indicators of biological aging. Telomeres protect your chromosomes which hold your genetic identity. They form a cap at the end of each chromosome. Every time the cell divides, it loses part of this protective cap. The loss of these parts, known as telomere shortening, is considered one of the aging hallmarks (2).
A study showed that people with shorter telomeres are more likely to suffer from neurological disorders, chronic illness, and early mortality. You might have shorter telomeres than someone the same age as you, making you biologically older.
There are several scientifically backed-up interventions and changes that you can follow to slow down telomere shortening. For example, adding physical activity to your daily routine can help lengthen telomeres (3). However, it is highly individual and you should first undergo telomere length analysis.
2. DNA methylation
Your DNA is constantly changing by many mechanisms that turn genes on and off based on your body’s needs. The process by which gene activation is maintained is called DNA methylation (4). By assessing the DNA methylation of more than 8000 samples of different body organs and tissues, researchers concluded not all tissues had the same age. This proves that each body part ages at a different rate (5). The average physiological age of each organ in your body predicts your cumulative biological age.
With the right biological age diagnostic tools and experts, you can help your body manipulate aging by integrating a personalized program at Healthy Longevity Clinic.
With aging, some DNA regions undergo an increase in methylation, while others have a decrease in methylation levels. For example, 60% of cells from a sample showing DNA methylation at one site of the genome can be matched with a specific chronological or biological age (6).
Factors that influence your biological age
There has been progress in identifying the factors that directly affect your biological age. It is not a single factor; there is no guarantee that a healthy lifestyle will improve your biological age. Nonetheless, there are several things that you should be aware of to reverse your biological age. These factors include the following:
Genetics
Genetics influence every aspect of your health, including your biological age. Some genes directly influence age-related diseases. The expression of these genes can either prolong or shorten your biological age. The GenAge database now lists over 300 human aging-related genes, and the LongevityMap database of human genetic association studies contains over 500 results. Mutations of these genes can cause premature aging syndromes (7). Indeed, you cannot change your DNA, but knowing your genetic predispositions can influence your lifestyle choices to promote longevity. Book a free consultation to learn how we can test your genetics.
Diet
Diet plays an integral role in biological aging. Diet can either play an anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory role. Increasing plant-based protein intake reduces CVD risk and many biomarkers associated with it, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, which affect biological age (8, 9). A balanced diet that includes high amounts of vegetables, fruits, and lower sodium was linked to lower biological age and a slower rate of aging (10).
Exercise
Exercise and staying physically active boost the immune system, maintain healthy body weight, and lower the risk of inflammation. Studies show that compared to individuals who lead a sedentary lifestyle, those who exercise 150 minutes per week have aging markers nine years younger (11). Researchers found that people who add aerobic exercise to their routine were approximately 5.5 years more youthful than sedentary people (12).
Other factors
Other factors, such as sleep, stress, and physical environment, affect biological aging. Poor sleep has negatively impacts biological age and longevity (13). The environment contains numerous toxins that can speed up your biological age (14).
Get your biological age tested
At Healthy Longevity Clinic, you can choose from different programs aimed at improving your longevity. We will test your biological age and other biomarkers to design a highly personalized plan for optimizing your health and slowing down your rate of aging. Book a free consultation with a longevity expert to learn more.
1. Nie C, Li Y, Li R, Yan Y, Zhang D, Li T, et al. Distinct biological ages of organs and systems identified from a multi-omics study. Cell reports. 2022;38(10):110459.
2. Anitha A, Thanseem I, Vasu MM, Viswambharan V, Poovathinal SA. Chapter Three - Telomeres in neurological disorders. In: Makowski GS, editor. Advances in Clinical Chemistry. 90: Elsevier; 2019. p. 81-132.
3. Arsenis NC, You T, Ogawa EF, Tinsley GM, Zuo L. Physical activity and telomere length: Impact of aging and potential mechanisms of action. Oncotarget. 2017;8(27):45008-19.
4. Moore LD, Le T, Fan G. DNA Methylation and Its Basic Function. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013;38(1):23-38.
5. Horvath S. DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types. Genome Biology. 2013;14(10):3156.
6. Amiri Roudbar M, Mousavi SF, Salek Ardestani S, Lopes FB, Momen M, Gianola D, et al. Prediction of biological age and evaluation of genome-wide dynamic methylomic changes throughout human aging. G3 (Bethesda, Md). 2021;11(7).
7. Morris BJ, Willcox BJ, Donlon TA. Genetic and epigenetic regulation of human aging and longevity. Biochimica et biophysica acta Molecular basis of disease. 2019;1865(7):1718-44.
8. Dinu M, Abbate R, Gensini GF, Casini A, Sofi F. Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 2017;57(17):3640-9.
9. Tharrey M, Mariotti F, Mashchak A, Barbillon P, Delattre M, Fraser GE. Patterns of plant and animal protein intake are strongly associated with cardiovascular mortality: the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. International journal of epidemiology. 2018;47(5):1603-12.
10. Kresovich JK, Park YM, Keller JA, Sandler DP, Taylor JA. Healthy eating patterns and epigenetic measures of biological age. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2022;115(1):171-9.
11. Tucker LA. Physical activity and telomere length in U.S. men and women: An NHANES investigation. Preventive Medicine. 2017;100:145-51.
12. Lehallier B, Shokhirev MN, Wyss-Coray T, Johnson AA. Data mining of human plasma proteins generates a multitude of highly predictive aging clocks that reflect different aspects of aging. Aging cell. 2020;19(11):e13256.
13. Gao X, Huang N, Guo X, Huang T. Role of sleep quality in the acceleration of biological aging and its potential for preventive interaction on air pollution insults: Findings from the UK Biobank cohort. Aging cell. 2022;21(5):e13610.
14. Tran HTT, Herz C, Lamy E. Long-term exposure to “low-dose” bisphenol A decreases mitochondrial DNA copy number, and accelerates telomere shortening in human CD8 + T cells. Scientific reports. 2020;10(1):15786.
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