How Fast Are You Aging?
Are you aging faster than your annoyingly youthful-looking best friend? Is your DNA — or at least the chemical tags that show the ravages of time — in better shape than your peers?
Biological age tests claim to compare how slowly (or quickly) you age to other people of your same age. These epigenetic clocks measure age changes to our DNA through a biological process scientists call DNA methylation. As we grow older, chemicals called methyl attach themselves to our DNA. Researchers use the pattern by which they do this to tell your biological age, which can be different from your chronological age.
How does that happen? Natasha Melo Resendes, M.D., FACP, and a geriatrician at the Miami VA Medical Center, explains it this way. “Essentially, the process turns the expression of genes on or off.” In short, DNA methylation is like a switch.
The 20+ biological age tests on the market today use this concept to determine how your cells are aging, regardless of the number of candles on your birthday cake.
But that information comes with a sizable price tag: several hundred dollars. Is the cost worth it?
That depends on what you plan to do with the results. These tests give you an estimate of your biological age but little else. For example, the information returned on a test may peg your biological age at 45, but you’re only 35. That means you’re aging faster than people your age. Conversely, if the test gives you a biological age of 30, it means you’re aging at a slower pace than other 35-year-olds.
“It’s fine if you’re taking the test out of curiosity,” says Dr. Resendes, who is also a voluntary assistant professor at the Miller School of Medicine. “But the information you get is not particularly useful. It doesn’t provide you with a definitive answer.”
DNA age tests, she adds, serve a purpose only if “it motivates you to do something about your lifestyle habits so you can improve” your biological age.
She says people should take the results with a grain of salt. “It’s only an estimate, and it doesn’t predict how long you will live.”
What’s more, the biological age number should be used only as one factor in a complex equation that assesses health.
Geriatricians prefer a combination of other measures, from balance tests to cardiovascular health measures (blood pressure, lipid levels), even retina health, to get a more holistic picture.
She’s skeptical about DNA age-test companies that market and sell anti-aging products to their customers. “There’s not yet a pill or supplement to decelerate aging,” she warns.
What’s more, these straight-to-consumer tests aren’t the only ways to tell how slowly (or quickly) you’re aging.
Certain proteins in the blood are proving to be good predictors of a person’s aging rate.
Earlier this year, researchers identified nine blood-based markers that are good indicators of biological age:
- albumin
- creatinine
- glucose
- c-reactive protein
- lymphocyte percent
- mean cell volume
- red cell distribution width
- alkaline phosphatase
- white cell counts
These markers measure a variety of functions, from kidney health to inflammation.
According to a paper presented at the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual conference, an algorithm using these values can determine a person’s biological age.
That information, in turn, can help predict the risk for certain cancers. For example, in comparison to slow agers, people who were aging faster had more than a 60% higher risk of a gastrointestinal tumor, twice the risk of early-onset lung cancer, and more than 80% higher risk of uterine cancer.
Using test markers of biological age might help scientists better understand aging and what, if anything, can be done to slow it. It might also lead to better prevention or earlier intervention in certain diseases where age is a notable risk factor.
There are plenty of tried-and-true steps you can take to lengthen your healthspan:
Eat a healthy, plant-based diet.
Dr. Resendes recommends the Mediterranean diet, which relies on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy, and nuts and seeds.
Manage stress levels.
Practice some form of mindfulness, meditation or other relaxation techniques.
Prioritize sleep.
Keep your doctor’s visits.
Stay up to date on cancer screenings and vaccines. Know your numbers – blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
Exercise.
Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity, according to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Be socially active.
Meet with friends. Join clubs or social groups.
Avoid or quit smoking.
Avoid or limit alcohol consumption to less than one drink per day.
Get evaluated by a mental health professional for depression if you start to notice sadness, irritability, or emotional numbness.
Have leisure activities you enjoy, such as watching sports, visiting museums, movies that get you outside of your home.
“You can do all the high-tech assessments you want, but the solution right now is really quite simple,” she adds. “We know what works. Whether or not we put it into practice is a different matter.”
Ana Veciana-Suarez is a regular contributor to the University of Miami Health System. She is an acclaimed author and journalist who has worked at The Miami Herald, The Miami News, and The Palm Beach Post.
Tags: aging, healthy aging, your biology
