You might often hear friends and family members jokingly say, “You’re getting old!” But at the same time, you’re reminded that age is just a number, and what really matters is how you feel both physically and mentally. This led me to explore the fascinating topic of biological age vs chronological age, and how we can determine our true age.
Key Takeaways
- Biological age and chronological age are two very different ways of measuring age. While chronological age is just a number, biological age is a more accurate reflection of our health status.
- There are factors we can measure that affect biological age include: DNA methylation, telomere length, hormone levels, physical fitness, and cognitive function.
- Various health assessments are used to predict biological age and identify potential health problems including using epigenetic clocks and AI-based predictive models.
- There are limitations to being able to accurately measure your biological age.
- There are ways to reduce your biological age via regular exercise, a healthy diet, stress management, healthy sleep, and avoiding smoking.
- The future of biological age testing looks promising and could become a routine part of healthcare.
What is Chronological Age?
Chronological age refers to the number of years we’ve been alive. So, if you are the same age as what your birthday is.
You can calculate your chronological age for today you can use the Pearson Age Calculator.
What is Biological Age?
Biological age refers to an age determined by how well our body is functioning compared to how old we are. It is a method for estimating the health level and aging processes of the body systems and the whole body.
You can calculate your biological age for today by answering some online quiz questions.
What Is the Difference Between Biological Age vs Chronological Age?
Biological age and chronological age are two different ways of measuring age. Chronological age refers to the number of years we’ve been alive, while biological age refers to the age at which our body functions. In simpler terms, biological age is a measure of how well our body is functioning compared to how old we are.
Why the Interest in Biological Age Testing?
Over recent years, according to Google Trends there has been a growing interest in the concept of biological age.
People are increasingly realizing that age is not just a number, and it’s essential to understand our biological age to maintain good health and prevent age-related diseases.
Biological Age vs Chronological Age – Which is More Important?
While both biological age and chronological age are essential, biological age is a more accurate reflection of our health status. Biological age takes into account factors such as DNA methylation, telomere length, hormone levels, physical fitness, and cognitive function.
Chronological age is just a number and doesn’t necessarily reflect our overall health status. We can be younger or older biologically than our chronological age.
Think of the difference between a youthful elderly person vs a frail elderly person of the same chronological age.
Ways to Reduce Your Biological Age
There are several things you can do to reduce biological age and improve your health which are: regular exercise, a healthy diet, stress management and avoid smoking to help maintain good health and reduce your biological age.
| Way | Description |
|---|---|
| Regular Exercise | Exercise is essential for maintaining good health and reducing biological age. Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. |
| Healthy Diet | A healthy diet is crucial for maintaining good health, but many people still debate what is a healthy diet. General consensus is to eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. |
| Stress Management | Chronic stress can have a negative impact on our health. Practice stress-management techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. |
| Avoid Smoking | Smoking is a significant risk factor for many age-related diseases. Quitting smoking can improve your health and reduce your biological age. |
| Healthy Sleep Pattern | Working on your sleep quality is a vital component to improving and maintaining your health for many reasons. |
| Nutritional Supplements | There are some dietary supplements available like NMN and spermidine which people are using to support healthy aging. |
| Caloric Restriction | Reducing calorie intake without depriving essential nutrients, has been shown to slow the aging process in various ways. |
Factors that Affect Biological Age
Biological age is determined by several factors, including DNA methylation, telomere length, hormone levels, physical fitness, and cognitive function.
These factors are essential in determining our overall health and well-being.
1. DNA Methylation
DNA methylation is a process that modifies DNA by adding a methyl group to specific regions of the DNA molecule. This modification can turn genes on or off, affecting how our body functions. DNA methylation plays a crucial role in aging and age-related diseases.
Epigenetic clocks are based on DNA methylation patterns and can predict a person’s biological age accurately. These clocks are used in health assessments to determine a person’s overall health status.
2. Telomere Length
Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes that protect them from damage. Telomeres shorten as we age, and this shortening is associated with age-related diseases. Short telomeres are also linked to cognitive decline and physical aging.
3. Hormone Levels
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, growth, and reproduction. As we age, our hormone levels decline, leading to a variety of age-related problems.
4. Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is an essential factor in determining biological age. Regular exercise can help improve our physical health and reduce the risk of age-related diseases.
5. Cognitive Function
Cognitive function refers to our ability to think, reason, and remember. As we age, our cognitive function declines, leading to memory loss and other cognitive problems.
What Are the Biomarkers Used to Determine Biological Age?
Biomarkers used to determine biological age include DNA-methylation changes, inflammatory profile, epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic changes1,2,3.
The metabolomic clock can be used to predict biological age and identify systemic biomarkers that strongly correlate with increased age3.
The gut microbiome changes along with physiological aging and may play a pivotal role in a variety of age-related diseases, in a manner that does not necessarily correlate with chronological age3.
Harnessing individualized gut microbiome data and integration of host and microbiome parameters using artificial intelligence and machine learning pipelines may enable us to more accurately define aging clocks3.
Several studies showed the benefit of combining multiple biomarkers for biological age prediction3.
You can also determine your biological age by monitoring factors such as: DNA methylation, telomere length, hormone levels, physical fitness, and cognitive function.
How to Determine Your Biological Age?
There are several ways to determine your biological age, including:
- Health assessments questions
- Saliva or blood tests to measure epigenetic clocks
- AI-based predictive models
All these types of biological age assessments can provide valuable insights into your overall health status and identify potential health problems.
β Using Epigenetic Clocks
Epigenetic clocks are based on DNA methylation patterns and can predict a person’s biological age accurately. These clocks are used in health assessments to determine a person’s overall health status.
There are several types of epigenetic clocks, including Horvath’s clock, Hannum’s clock, and Levine’s clock. These clocks use different DNA methylation patterns to predict biological age.
Health assessments that use epigenetic clocks can provide valuable information about a person’s overall health status. They can identify potential health problems and help individuals take preventative measures to maintain good health.
β Using AI-based Predictive Models
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in determining biological age. AI-based predictive models can analyze large amounts of data, including DNA methylation patterns, to accurately predict a person’s biological age.
These models are more accurate than traditional health assessments and can identify potential health problems early. They can also provide personalized recommendations for improving health and reducing biological age.
What Are the Limitations of Measuring Biological Age?
The limitations of measuring biological age include the fact that no single biomarker can reliably represent the complexity of aging, and different biomarkers may be influenced by different factors1.
Additionally, the biomarkers used to measure biological age may vary depending on the organ/system being evaluated, and the statistical method used to construct the biological age model may also influence the accuracy of the measurementR.
Furthermore, genetic, pharmaceutical, and intervention studies have shown that aging is delayable or reversible, indicating that chronological age is not the direct cause of agingR,R.
Finally, while some biomarkers may be good predictors of mortality and frailty, they may not be good predictors of other aspects of healthspan, and no intervention discovered to date improves every aspect of healthR.
The Future of Biological Age Testing
The future of biological age testing looks promising. AI-based predictive models are becoming more accurate, and health assessments that use epigenetic clocks are becoming more widely available.
In the future, biological age testing could become a routine part of healthcare. It could help identify potential health problems early and provide personalized recommendations for maintaining good health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Be Biologically Younger Than Your Age?
Yes, it is possible to be biologically younger than your age.
How Much Younger Can Your Biological Age Be?
According to a study that developed a biological age model for patients with chronic kidney disease, the intensity of the biological age was found to be between three to nine years younger than the chronological age
What Is the Best Indicator of Biological Age?
There is no single indicator that can holistically estimate the aging process, and the best indicator of biological age is still under investigation
Sources:
- Prokhorov, et al. 2019. Biological Age as a Method for Estimating Health Level Under Environmental Risks (Literature Review)
- Google Trends Data for the search term Biological Age Worldwide
- Kim et al. 2019. THE FRAILTY INDEX CONSTRUCTED USING FEATURE SELECTION METHODS IS THE BEST MEASURE OF BIOLOGICAL AGE
- Li et al. 2023. Progress in biological age research
- Paparazzo et al. 2023. A Blood-Based Molecular Clock for Biological Age Estimation
- Ratiner et al. 2022. Utilization of Host and Microbiome Features in Determination of Biological Aging
- Mitnitski, A. 2018. Epigenetic Biomarkers for Biological Age
- Rutledge et al. 2022. Measuring biological age using omics data
- Abu Bakar et al. 2022. Biological age for chronic kidney disease patients using index model
