Biological age – a health index that can be lower or higher than chronological age – can help predict quality of life when you grow old, scientists say.
The idea behind biological age means that your cells and organs can have ages beyond your normal age. Many researchers in the field of aging research believe that knowing your biological age can help people delay or avoid Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and other age-related diseases. There are those who believe that with the help of this figure it is possible to better predict what the life expectancy of a particular person will be.
Other scientists agree that biological age is important but do not agree that it can be used to predict life expectancy. They say there is no standard way to measure biological age and many of the tools developed for this purpose are not yet proven. At the heart of the debate is the hope that people will be able to prolong their lives by changing behavior; There are some companies that are betting on this.
“Your body’s credit rating”
David Sinclair, professor of genetics and co-director of the Paul P. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, is one of the researchers and entrepreneurs promoting the idea of biological age. He describes it as “your body’s credit rating.”
Sinclair is 52 but says he is biologically closer to 42. He is a co-founder of a new company that is developing a test to determine biological age.
Some researchers calculate the figure by analyzing biological markers in the blood or saliva; Other scientists and engineers do this by comparing individual people to broader age patterns.
The actions that affect biological age – such as sleep, exercise and nutrition – are essentially the good habits we are already familiar with. But because each person’s genes are different, tracking biological age can help determine which habits are most beneficial and how to adapt them. For one person, 10,000 steps a day may be the optimal amount, while for another person maybe only 6,000 steps are needed.
People can try to rejuvenate their biological age through meditation, yoga or other ways of managing stress effectively. Some people, like Sinclair, take supplements to help rejuvenate themselves.
Scientists studying aging are hoping that eventually, individuals will be able to accurately measure their biological age and discover what is affecting it to reject chronic diseases and possibly live longer.
Doubt the reliability of biological age
Still, there are scientists who question this process. Some think that even if we are aware of our biological age, it is a bit excessive to think that we can use this information to prolong our lives.
Alex Jabornokov, CEO of Insilico Medicine, which uses artificial intelligence to develop drugs for aging-related diseases, says biological age is a useful concept for drug development. But he says he doubts people will be able to change behavior to live longer, on Life expectancy research base from different countries in the world.
“Extreme optimization of sleep, exercise and nutrition are unlikely to lead to a dramatic increase in life expectancy,” he said.
The growing interest in biological age is driven by developments in the field of epigenetics, a field of study that examines how gene expression (a process in which information hidden in one or more genes is translated into a functional gene product) is influenced by behaviors and the environment.
At Harvard, Sinclair is developing a test to determine the biological age based on chemical changes in the DNA found in cells in the cheekbone. The sample is taken with a marker at home. He plans to launch the test with a new company called Tally Healthy.
Other scientists have criticized Sinclair for exaggerating the importance of the results of some of his findings, such as the anti-aging effects of resveratrol, a claim he rejected. He says he does not overemphasize his scientific findings and that the study on resveratrol has been published in leading scientific journals. Sinclair is a co-founder of more than a dozen biotechnology companies and is largely financially invested, including some that develop drugs specifically designed to prevent aging.
Tests with little scientific backing
InsideTracker by Segterra Inc., a custom nutrition company founded by researchers from Harvard, Tufts University and MIT, calculates biological age by testing users’ blood and analyzing results for signs of conditions such as inflammation, heart health problems and kidney or liver problems. Those who are tested and found to be older than their biological age receive recommendations for diet balance, exercise or taking supplements.
Many other health start-ups offer tests that claim to calculate biological age, sometimes with little scientific backing, and design supplements designed to rejuvenate users.
Stephen Roberts, owner of a winery in France, tested himself earlier this year in a home blood test offered by British biotechnology company GlycanAge. The test was part of an attempt by Roberts, 51, to improve his health.
“I drink, sometimes I smoke and I go to parties and I eat whatever I want,” he said, so he expected his biological age to be much higher than his age in years.
He said he was in shock when the test results reported that his biological age was 24.
“My first reaction was, ‘This is wrong.'” He says he has not made any changes following the test but intends to be tested again later this year.
Gordon Lauk, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Zagreb in Croatia and chief scientist at GlycanAge, says the results make sense given Roberts’ genetics – a long-lived family life expectancy – and lifestyle, which probably involves less stress than most people.
Michael Roisen, an anesthesiologist and director of general health at the Cleveland Clinic, created one of the first calculators for calculating biological age 25 years ago based on a questionnaire. He sold it to digital healthcare company Sharecare Inc., where he has stock options as a member of the company’s scientific advisory board.
This fall Roisen is launching a website and book, part of a new company he says aims to help people understand how to live longer.
Exercise, for example, does more than strengthen the heart, he said. Exercise introduces a gene that initiates a chain reaction that increases the secretion of a protein that improves memory, according to studies. The ways in which we manage stress can activate or stop the action of more than 250 genes, Roisen said.
“Our choices have a much deeper impact than changing heart rate,” Roisen said.