How ancient are you? Are the latest tests of the “biological age” all they crashed on?

We all like to imagine that we are aging well. Now a basic blood or saliva test promises us to tell us by measuring our “Biological age“And then, like many, we can participation Like “teenage” we are really in social media, along with our secrets of success.

While chronological age is how long you lived, measures of biological age Try to indicate how ancient your body is, allegedly measuring “consumption” at the molecular level.

The cancellation of these tests is undeniable. Health awareness consumers can perceive their results as strengthening efforts to anti -aging or a way to show that their journey to better health is paid.

But how good are these tests? Do they really offer useful observations? Or maybe just clever marketing dressed to look like learning?

How do these tests work?

Over time, chemical processes that allow our body to function, known as our “metabolic activity”, lead to damage and a decrease in the activity of our cells, tissues and organs.

Biological age tests are designed to capture some of these changes, offering a shutter down how good or how bad we are aging at the cellular level.

The aging process also affects our DNA. In particular, chemical markers (methyl groups) join our DNA and affect gene expression. These changes occur in a predictable way with age and environmental exhibitions in a process called methylation.

Research used “epigenetic clocks” that measure the methylation of our genes to estimate biological age. Analyzing methylation levels in specific places in the genome of participants’ samples, scientists apply predictive models to estimate cumulative body consumption.

What do research say about their apply?

Although learning develops rapidly, evidence underlying the apply of epigenetic clocks for measuring biological aging strong.

Studies have shown epigenetic biological estimation of age is a better predictor Risk of death and diseases related to aging than chronological age.

Epigenetic clocks were also found They are strongly correlated With lifestyle and environmental exposures, such as smoking and diet quality.

In addition, it turned out that they were able to provide Risk of states such as cardiovascular diseases that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

To sum up, the growing group of research indicates that at the population level, epigenetic clocks are solid measures of biological aging and are strongly associated with the risk of risk disease and death

But how good are these tests for individuals?

While these tests are valuable during the study of the population in the conditions of research, the apply of epigenetic clocks for biological measuring the age of individual people is a different matter and requires control.

In the case of testing at an individual level, perhaps the most crucial factor is “signal ratio to noise” (or precision) of these tests. This is the question whether a single sample from the unit can bring very different results.

AND Test from 2022 Samples were found tilted up to nine years. Thus, the same 40-year-old sample may indicate the biological age of up to 35 years (cause of celebration) or even 44 years (cause of fear).

Although there has been a significant improvement in these tests over the years, there is a significant one variability In the precision of these tests between commercial suppliers. So, depending on who you send a sample to, your estimated biological age may vary significantly.

Another limitation is that there is currently no standardization of this testing methods. Commercial suppliers perform these tests in different ways And they have different algorithms for biological age assessment based on data.

As you might expect for commercial operators, suppliers do not reveal their methods. That is why it is arduous to compare companies and determine who provides the most precise results – and what you get for your money.

The third restriction is that although epigenetic clocks correlate well with aging, they are simply “proxy“And they are not a diagnostic tool.

In other words, they can be a general indication of aging at the cellular level. But they do not offer any specific information about what the problem can be if someone turns out to be “aging faster” than they would like, or what they do well if they “get ancient well”.

Regardless of the fact that you will probably get the test result from a commercial epigenetic test supplier, is a general advice on what, according to science, is robust behavior.

Are they worth it? Or what should I do?

Although companies offering these tests may have good intentions, remember that their ultimate goal is to sell these tests and make a profit. And at the cost of about USD 500 they are not inexpensive.

Although the idea of ​​using these tests as a personalized health tool has potential, it is clear It is not there yet.

To become a reality, tests will have to become more repetitive, normalized between suppliers and approved through long -term research that combine changes in biological age with specific behaviors.

Thus, although one -time biological age tests are impressive posts in social media, for most people they represent significant costs and offer narrow real value.

The good news is that we already know what to do to boost our chances for a longer and healthier life. These include:

• Improving our diet
• growing physical activity
• Get to sleep
• quitting smoking
• Reduction of stress
• Prioritization of a social connection.

We do not have to know our biological age to now make changes in our lives to improve our health.