How Quickly Can Your Biological Age Change?

Good morning.

You can't change the year you were born.

But biological age is different. It's an estimate of how old your body appears to be based on measurements of your health and physiology.

Researchers recently put 104 adults between 65 and 75 on one of four diets for four weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, they measured 20 markers in the blood and used them to estimate each person's biological age.

After just four weeks, people in three of the groups had biological-age scores that moved younger.

It sounds remarkable.

It also raises an important question: What does it actually mean to become biologically younger?

Biological age isn't a second birthday hidden somewhere inside the body. It's an estimate based on measurements associated with how the body changes over time.

Depending on the method, those measurements might include inflammation, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, or molecular changes in our cells.

Some of them can change surprisingly quickly.

Improve insulin levels, reduce inflammation, or change cholesterol, for example, and a biological-age calculation that includes those measurements can change too.

That's different from demonstrating that the aging process itself has been reversed.

In the new study, researchers tested four eating patterns: an omnivorous diet, a semi-vegetarian diet, a pesco-vegetarian diet, and a vegetarian diet. Three produced reductions in calculated biological age, with the strongest statistical evidence appearing in the lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate omnivorous group.

But the study lasted only four weeks.

Researchers don't yet know whether the changes would remain over months or years, or whether a lower score would translate into fewer age-related diseases or a longer life.

That doesn't make the finding unimportant.

It tells us something interesting about biological age itself.

Chronological age measures time. Biological-age measurements attempt to capture something much more complicated: the condition of the body at that moment.

And at least some of what goes into that calculation may be more responsive to our behavior than the word age makes it sound.

That's worth remembering as biological-age tests become more common and claims about “reversing aging” become easier to find.

A younger biological-age score can tell us that meaningful things inside the body have changed.

It doesn't necessarily mean we've turned back the clock.

Source: ScienceDaily. Research on dietary patterns and biological-age markers in adults ages 65 to 75.

Longevity

The Long Game
One small thing for a longer life

Try This

Practice standing on one leg, a little each day.

While you brush your teeth or wait for the kettle, lift one foot and hold, then switch. Balance becomes increasingly important as we age, and it can be improved with practice.

In one study of adults ages 51 to 75, people who couldn't stand on one leg for 10 seconds had a substantially higher risk of dying over the next several years. The test isn't a prediction of how long someone will live. Rather, balance can reflect several things working together, including strength, coordination, and the nervous system.

A few seconds of practice is an easy place to start.

Movement is one of the six factors that shape how well we age. The Worthyest Longevity Index measures all six in 4 minutes. Yours, personalized. Get my score →

Source: Araujo et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2022.

The Curiosity Edit

Today’s Insight: Cell Biology

Scientists Discover Cells That Cheat Death and Rebuild Damaged Tissue

Some damaged cells appear able to begin the process of dying, stop before it's complete, and then help rebuild injured tissue. The discovery in fruit flies could offer new clues about tissue repair, and potentially about how some cells survive treatment. Read the full story here.

Modern Living:

Relationships & Exercise

Why You Should Invite Your Partner to Join Your Next Workout

Exercise can affect far more than physical health. New research looks at what may happen in a relationship when couples make a habit of working out together. Read the full story here.

Health & Wellness

What the Numbers and Signs Can Tell Us

Some health information comes from devices we wear, while other clues come directly from the body. This collection looks at how accurately smartwatches estimate calorie burn, cancer symptoms that can be easy to overlook, and when the marks left behind by your socks may deserve attention.

Your Smartwatch Isn't Accurately Counting How Many Calories You Burn, Study Says
Fitness trackers can measure some things remarkably well, but calorie estimates are another matter. New research raises questions about how much confidence we should put in one of the most familiar numbers on our wrists.

Oncologists Share the Signs of Cancer People Often Miss
Not every potential cancer symptom is as recognizable as a new lump or unusual bleeding. Oncologists identify several changes that can be easy to dismiss and explain when they warrant a conversation with a doctor.

Here's What It Means If Your Socks Leave Marks on Your Legs and When to Be Concerned
Marks from your socks are usually harmless, but sometimes they can provide information about what's happening beneath the skin. Doctors explain what causes them and which accompanying symptoms could signal that something else is going on.

The Conscious Plate:

Food, Nutrition & Elevated Living

Looking Past the Labels

Food categories like processed, fresh, healthy, or homegrown can make our choices seem more straightforward than they really are. This collection looks at processed foods that may support colon health, foods that can work against healthier blood pressure, and whether produce grown at home is actually safer than what we buy at the store.

5 Processed Foods to Eat Every Week to Lower Colon Cancer Risk
“Processed” covers a much wider range of foods than the term sometimes suggests. Dietitians highlight several convenient options that provide nutrients associated with better colon health and can easily become regular staples.

Is Produce From a Home Garden Safer Than Store Bought? 'It Depends'
Growing fruits and vegetables yourself can feel like the safest way to know where your food comes from. But home gardens have potential sources of contamination of their own, making the answer more complicated than it might seem.

3 Dangerous Foods for Your Blood Pressure
Managing blood pressure isn't only about watching the salt shaker. Dietitians identify three types of foods that can make healthy blood pressure harder to maintain and explain what to consider instead.

Final Note

This is what we leave you with. A thought to end the day, carry in your pocket, or come back to later. Nothing big. Just something to reflect on.

What They Heard

Knowing what someone said is easier than knowing what they heard.

You can choose your words carefully, explain exactly what you mean, and still discover that someone walked away with a different message.

They heard the words through everything you couldn't control: what they expected, what they were worried about, what had already happened that day, and what they thought you meant before you finished speaking.

Communication doesn't end when something is said.

It ends with what the other person understood.

Pass It On

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