![]() Mostly plant-based meals and spurts of activity throughout the day are well-known “secrets” of healthspan and longevity. Blue zones, which are areas around the world where people live long lives, attribute their successful aging to diet, exercise and social connectedness. Similarly, diet and exercise are strong influencers of biological age. Several studies have reported a strong link between social isolation and increased stress, morbidity and mortality. But social connections can be challenging to maintain over time due to loss of family and friends, depression, chronic illness or other factors. ![]() Social connectedness is essential for well-being throughout life. Researchers have found that environmental and lifestyle factors heavily influence biological age, including social connectedness, sleeping habits, water consumption, exercise and diet. This suggests that other parameters can strongly influence biological aging. In fact, genes probably account for only 20% to 30% of biological age. However, it is clear from studies in identical twins – who share the same genes but not the same exact lifespans – that genes are not the only factor that influences aging. These include genes that repair DNA, protect cells from free radicals and regulate fat levels. Researchers have also identified multiple genes that influence longevity and play a role in resilience and protection from stress. Since then, multiple observations support the influence of genetics on aging.įor example, children of long-lived parents and even those with long-lived siblings tend to live longer. However, in the early 1990s, researchers reported the first studies identifying genes that were able to extend the lifespan of a small roundworm. Genetics were once thought to have no influence on aging or longevity. It arises from a complex mix of genetic traits and is influenced by factors like microbiome composition, environment, lifestyle, stress, diet and exercise. Genetics and biological ageīiological aging is multifaceted. Detecting rapid agers early on presents an opportunity to delay, change or even reverse the trajectory of biological aging. With the unprecedented growth of the world’s aging population, I believe that figuring out ways to measure biological age and how to maintain or delay its advance is critical not only for individual health, but also for the social, political and economic health of our society. My grandfather, on the other hand, also lived until he was 83, but he was active, functional and even did my homework with me until he passed away – he was a healthy ager. My grandmother, who lived to be 83 but was bedridden and could not remember who I was for the last few years of her life, was a rapid ager. Rapid agers experience a faster rate of functional deterioration relative to their chronological age. Biological age is a more accurate measure of healthspan, or years lived in good health, than chronological age, and doesn’t directly correlate with wrinkles and gray hairs. I am a scientist interested in redefining “age.” Instead of benchmarking chronological age, my lab is invested in measuring biological age. This is because there is a difference between your chronological age, or the number of years you’ve been alive, and your biological age – your physical and functional ability. Although age is the principal risk factor for several chronic diseases, it is an unreliable indicator of how quickly your body will decline or how susceptible you are to age-related disease. Indeed, aging increases the risk of multiple chronic diseases by up to a thousandfold. More than any individual risk factor such as smoking or lack of exercise, the number of years you’ve lived predicts onset of disease. But many ignore the major risk factor for all of these diseases: aging itself. Researchers have focused a lot of attention on understanding the causes and risk factors of age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, osteoporosis and cancer. And actor Paul Rudd was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2021 at age 52 while still looking like he’s in his 30s. The “Great British Bake Off” judge Mary Berry, now in her 80s, continues to inspire people all over the world to bake and enjoy life. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg stayed on the bench until her death at age 87. But there are some people who seem to defy their age. Do you ever wake up some days and think, “When I was younger, I could survive on just four hours of sleep, but now it seems like I need 10?” Or have you ever walked out of the gym and “felt” your knees?Īlmost everyone experiences these kinds of signs of aging.
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