You are 30 years old, or maybe 40? This is your chronological age – the number of years that have passed since you were born. It's the number you usually give when someone asks you how old you are. But is this chronological age really the best indicator of how healthy and vital you are?
Chronological vs. biological age
In addition to chronological age, there is another indicator: the biological age. While your chronological age is simply the number of years you have lived, your biological age refers to how old your body actually is. Biological age takes into account factors such as the state of your cells, your metabolic health (eg insulin resistance), the presence of diseases and the functioning of your organs. It is essentially a measure of how well your body agesTo measure biological age, the Nobel Prize winner Steve horvath the so-called Horvath clock was developed. It measures epigenetic markers on the cells and can thus provide a very precise statement about biological age.
Biological age. The more accurate predictor?
Studies have shown that biological age is often a more accurate predictor of health and life expectancy than chronological age. For example, one study found that individuals with an older biological age had a significantly higher risk of several age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, regardless of their chronological age.
Chronological age and longevity
You might be 40 years old, but your biological age could be much younger – or, unfortunately, older. Why is this important? Well, studies suggest that a lower biological age with a higher life expectancy and a lower susceptibility to age-related diseases. So it is not just a question of how many years you have spent on this earth, but also how well your body copes with those years. Research has shown that various factors can influence biological age. These include Lifestyle habits such as Nutrition, exercise and stress management, genetic predisposition, environmental factors and even psychosocial influences.
In addition, studies have shown that biological age is associated with the so-called “Hallmarks of Aging” - the basic biological processes that influence the aging process. These include cellular aging, genetic instability, epigenetic changes, loss of proteostasis, metabolic changes, chronic inflammation, loss of regenerative capacity and dysbiosis.
Conclusion
By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, keeping an eye on your health and regularly taking care of your physical and mental fitness, you can help keep your biological age low - and thus your chances of a long and healthy life.
Chronological age may tell us how many candles we should have on our birthday cake, but biological age is the true measure of how young and alive we feel. So remember not to just count years, but to make sure those years are lived well!
Sources
Books
- SWu JW, Yaqub A, Ma Y, Koudstaal W, Hofman A, Ikram MA, Ghanbari M, Goudsmit J. Biological age in healthy elderly predicts aging-related diseases including dementia. Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 5;11(1):15929. Link
- Horvath, S., & Raj, K. (2018). DNA methylation-based biomarkers and the epigenetic clock theory of ageing. Nature reviews. Genetics, 19(6), 371–384. Link
- López-Otín, Carlos et al. “Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe.” Cell vol. 186,2 (2023): 243-278. Link
graphics
The graphics were purchased under license from Canva.
