Table of Contents
What is an example of biological age?
For example, if you’re a 28-year-old male who doesn’t exercise, only eats high-fat foods, and has smoked five packs of cigarettes per day for the last 10 years, it’s likely you would have a biological age of greater than 28 years. Chronological age is how long you have existed. Biological age is how old your cells are. Sometimes these two numbers are the same for people, but everyone ages at different rates. Your healthspan is the period of life where you are free of any aging-related disease. A human being’s age can be categorized into four types: Chronological age, Appearance age, Biological age, and Mental age. Unhealthy habits, including smoking, sun exposure and excess alcohol, can accelerate the DNA damage and inflammation that occur with ageing, explains Dr Wu. “Fat cells also release inflammatory chemicals, which means that weight gain and excess kilojoules can make you age much faster.” For humans, reproduction becomes possible at puberty. Thus, biological adulthood arrives by age 14 for the overwhelming majority of us.
What affects biological age?
Several factors influence our biological age, including genetics, diet, exercise, biomarkers, and sleep. There are several proposed ways of measuring biological aging, including telomere length, epigenetic clocks, and InnerAge. Chronological age cannot be changed, but Biological age plays a major role in how you feel and function. While chronological age cannot be changed, biological age is malleable and can even be reversed, allowing you to look and feel younger than your chronological age. myDNAge® test, the most accurate biological age test, is based on Dr. Horvath’s epigenetic age clock. We can take a blood sample from someone and find the biological age of their blood. And then take a skin sample or a saliva sample or a cheek swab and get a different biological age based on those cells.
What’s the difference between biological age and physiological age?
Chronological age is measured in years; but biological age is assessed by a person’s physical and mental functions. Your biological age – also known as your physiological age – is influenced by various factors. And while genetics plays a significant role, other factors include: Diet and nutrition. Biological age can be calculated by measuring certain “biomarkers” that scientists know correlate with getting older — changes like chemical alterations to DNA that affect the ability of your cells to successfully replicate. “About 68% of people will have a biological age within five years of their chronological age, but you can also find individuals who are a decade or more older or younger,” she explains. Body age is a measurement of how old you are biologically based upon your health and fitness level as opposed to what your birth certificate indicates. For example, someone who is thirty-five years old may have a body age that is ten years older. What is Body Age? Body Age relates to your physical and mental condition and can differ completely to your calendar age. Factors like sleep, stress, nutrition and your social life affect your body’s age.
Is age genetic or biological?
Healthy aging and longevity in humans are modulated by a lucky combination of genetic and non-genetic factors. Family studies demonstrated that about 25 % of the variation in human longevity is due to genetic factors. “Individuals are aging at different rates as well as potentially through different biological mechanisms,” or ageotypes, the Stanford scientists wrote. “Of course the whole body ages,” said biologist Michael Snyder, who led the study. “But in a given individual, some systems age faster or slower than others. People with a biological age lower than their chronological age have a lower mortality risk, while those aging older from a biological standpoint have a higher mortality risk and are potentially more prone to developing the diseases associated with the higher age range. This is called extrinsic aging. As a result, premature aging can set in long before it was expected. In other words, your biological clock is more advanced than your chronological clock. Controllable factors such as stress, smoking and sun exposure can all play a role in expediting extrinsic aging. Research shows that exercise’s powerful impact on our physical and mental health can in fact slow down the aging process. For example, if you’re a 28-year-old male who doesn’t exercise, only eats high-fat foods, and has smoked five packs of cigarettes per day for the last 10 years, it’s likely you would have a biological age of greater than 28 years.
How accurate is biological age?
Research suggests that biological age is more accurate than chronological age for predicting the onset of disease and death. This article looks at chronological versus biological aging, how biological age is determined, and how you may be able to lower your biological age. Quantifying these changes has allowed scientists to develop models that calculate a person’s biological age, a measure of the “well-being” of their cells. The Horvath clock is one of the most widely-used age clocks and uses DNA methylation data to calculate age (Horvath S, Genome Biology, 2013). Your cells, rudely enough, do not celebrate your birthday. With only some regard for your chronological age, your tissues, organs and blood reflect your “phenotypic age,” more commonly known as your biological age. Eat healthier A better diet can reduce your bad cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, improve cognitive function and help you feel better. In turn, this can help decrease your biological age! Unhealthy habits, including smoking, sun exposure and excess alcohol, can accelerate the DNA damage and inflammation that occur with ageing, explains Dr Wu. “Fat cells also release inflammatory chemicals, which means that weight gain and excess kilojoules can make you age much faster.”