Chronological Age Versus Biological Age

Our chronological age is basically the period of time we exist on Earth. On the other hand, biological age is determined by the depletion of our cells and our lifestyle among many other factors. Our diet, lifestyle, demographic influence, are some of the factors that determine our biological age. 

As per recent research, biological age is more accurate than chronological age for predicting the onset of disease and death. We need to clearly understand how both these are different and what are the factors that can give us a boost in both these segments of our present age and biological age. 

According to Monique Jhingon, Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Consultant, Health Optimisation Pro, Author, “Age is just a number. The question is: what number are you looking at? It turns out that there can be a big difference between the number of candles on your birthday cake (your chronological age) and the actual age of your cells and tissues (your biological age).”

She further believes that the latter is much more relevant as it can tell you how fast or slowly your body is aging, how healthy you are, and your risk for age-related diseases and mortality. More importantly, your biological age is to some extent within your control. You can turn back the clock. 

She goes on to add that, “Scientific developments have enabled the measurement of biological age and there are already several international companies offering tests that look at telomere length, DNA methylation and other biomarkers to calculate how old you really are.”

She also states that, “As research continues in this field, such tests will become more easily accessible and allow you to identify the factors that uniquely impact your own biology and aging process is what she also sheds In the meantime, engaging in health optimization practices.” These factors include eating an anti-inflammatory and nutrient dense diet that is right for you, prioritizing sleep, movement, exercise, and stress reduction will go a long way to help you grow younger.

How Is Biological Age Determined

The changes in our genetic material are key to determining your biological age. Researchers normally look at, Telomeres (part of chromosomes) and DNA methylation (how your DNA is aging).

Telomeres

Each strand of DNA is made up of chromosomes, which carry our genetic information. They look like X's (except for the one that determines male sex characteristics, which looks like a Y). At the tip of each point of the X (or Y) is a small structure called Telomere. Scientists have discovered that telomeres get shorter with chronological age.  

Research on Telomeres and Biological Age

One study found that people with shorter telomeres were more likely to have a chronic illness or a neurodegenerative disorder. Even an early death is possible in such cases. 

In other words, if we have shorter telomeres than someone born the same time as us, we are biologically older than them. A study proves that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can actually reverse the aging process by lengthening telomeres.

DNA Methylation

It's common to think of DNA as something that's fixed and unchanging, but that's not accurate. We actually have many more genes than show up at any given time. There can be instances where we have a gene that influences our immune system that's been expressed since we were born. At some point in our life, we may be exposed to environmental pollution or an illness that switches that gene off. After that, we may get sick a lot more often or be predisposed to certain chronic illnesses. Our immune system has changed at the genetic level. The process that turns genes on or off is called methylation.

Dr. Shabnam Das Kar, Functional Medicine Doctor and Brain Health Coach shares her views by stating that, “Chronological age is how long you have lived since birth, basically the number of birthdays. Biological age is how old your cells are. Your cells may be aging at a faster rate than the number of years you have spent on earth. Some causes of accelerated aging are poor food choices, inadequate sleep, sedentariness, nutritional depletions and environmental pollution.” She further enlightens us about this subject by saying that, having conditions like diabetes, hypertension, depression, PCOS, fatty liver, belly fat, and cancers can increase your rate of cellular aging. Menopause, particularly after a hysterectomy, hastens aging. All organs do not age at the same rate. For example, if you have fatty liver, your liver may age faster than your brain.

Giving us awareness about biological aging she mentions these 2 commonly asked questions and provides answers to them - 

How can you detect accelerated biological aging?

Biological age can be quantified by using validated algorithms utilizing routine blood tests, science-based smartphone apps using selfies, and Aging Clock tests like the GrimAge test that measure biological age.

How do you reduce biological aging?

It is no surprise that improving your food choices, moving more, sleeping better and keeping your blood glucose and blood pressure levels at the optimal range all help keep your cells younger. There is promising ongoing research in this field. She concludes by saying that, "It is never too early and never too late to start improving your cellular age."

Our Chronological Age is obviously unchangeable

There are instances which show how we have met a few people whose chronological age shocked us because they seemed much older or younger than their chronological age. Their biological age may be significantly different from the chronological measure. Much of how we age is influenced by genetics and beyond our control. But research shows aging can be impacted by external factors such as our sleeping habits, diet, exercise, physical environment, stress and even smoking to a large extent. Biological age may predict things like whether we will develop diabetes or dementia, or how soon we will die, it may someday become the more important number on our medical chart. Biological age, also called physiological age, is affected by these things and more, and experts say the state of your DNA (genetic material) is a reflection of all those factors.

Research on Methylation and Biological Age

One study sought to discover whether DNA methylation is an accurate way of predicting age. There was a research conducted where researchers gathered 8,000 samples of 51 different tissues and cells. Looking at methylation rates, most of the tissue and cell samples studied had the same chronological and biological ages. But they were some that didn't. Researchers concluded that certain parts of the body age faster than others. For example, healthy breast tissue can be as much as 3 years older than the rest of your body. If it's next to cancerous tissue, it's an average of 12 years older.

Using the methylation-based method of determining biological age, researchers can determine the risk of breast cancer. If one has female breast tissue, every five years older that person is biologically than chronologically, breast cancer risk is 15 per cent higher.

Calculating Your Biological Age

There's no simple way for us to calculate our biological age. It takes medical tests and a healthcare provider to accurately determine it. So, to learn our true biological age, we need to ask our healthcare provider about it. Basically our biological age is a prediction of how long we have left and how likely we take to become chronically ill. Unlike chronological age, our biological age can be changed. Things like diet, exercise, stress levels, sleep quality, and smoking can affect our biological age, and changing our habits can make a big difference.

Moving on, Mohit Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Ultrahuman states that, “We are pretty much living in the renaissance era of aging science. I think the mindset is increasingly shifting to not just living longer but living longer healthily. If the last 100 years were about preventing death, the next 100 will be about extending health span i.e. healthy years of your life.” He furthers goes on to say that this is now possible because we're increasingly getting more longitudinal health data via wearables on and inside the human body.

According to him, with the Ultrahuman M1 (CGM device) and R1 (ring), for instance, you can learn about the correlation between your diet, sleep quality and how well-recovered you are. “Having access to this data is really powerful as it helps determine your subsequent actions and allows you to optimise your lifestyle which plays an important role in determining your health span,” he signs off.

(With inputs from media reports)