Society pinpoints a variety of milestones age-wise: voting at 18, being legally allowed to drink at 21 and retiring at 65. These numbers are based on our chronological lifespan, but chronological age doesn’t consider the subjective aspects relative to that number.
Popular culture promotes 50 as the new 30 and 60 as the new 40. This shift in perceptions is driven by advancements in medical aesthetics, the wider potential of aging research and the increase of epigenetics that examines specific changes in gene activity.
Researchers hypothesise that if we can tinker with the actual aging process itself, we can arrest the development of chronic disease and get people living longer and healthier.
“Integrative physicians are less interested in the date of the patient’s birth certificate but focus on reducing biological age instead”, anti-aging specialist and GP, Dr Feruza Gafarova explains. “Biological age does not track years, but instead studies the chemical marks on DNA that reveal how our biological systems are truly aging” she says. “People vary tremendously when it comes to their rates of aging. The level one person hits at 60, may not affect another until 10 years later."
So the ultimate question is: how can we reduce our biological age?
Ready, Steady, Go
Let’s start by calculating it. Add your scores beneath each section or record them in a notebook.
Pulse
Sit quietly and calmly in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Find your pulse and record the number of beats in 15 seconds. Continue to breathe normally throughout. Multiply by 4 – this is your pulse rate per minute.
A healthy level is around 60 beats per minute.
What’s your score?
A 60 or below
B 65-69
C 70-74
D 75-79
E 80 or above
Blood Pressure
You can do this at home if you have a machine, otherwise ask your GP, practice nurse or personal trainer to measure your blood pressure. It’s most important that you are relaxed and sitting comfortably in a chair.
A blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers: systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number).
The first reflects the maximum pressure in the arteries when the heart has just beaten and blood courses through them, the second shows the minimum pressure in the lull between heartbeats.
If your arteries are narrowing, the bottom figure goes up. If the arteries are becoming less elastic, the top figure goes up.
The ideal reading is around 120/80, where 120 is the systolic and 80 is the diastolic.
What’s your score?
A 110/75-120/80
B 120/80
C 120/80-130/85
D 130/85-135/95
E 135/95-140/100+
BMI
Body mass index, or BMI, is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. It is calculated by taking your weight in kilograms and dividing it by your height in metres squared, so first, you need to know your weight and your height.
BMI can be a useful measure, but its major shortcoming is that it doesn’t tell you how much of your total weight is fat and how much is muscle, and this is probably of much greater importance than your weight and BMI.
Other measures such as body-fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio may be more useful, and these are discussed below.
To calculate your BMI, first calculate your height squared (which is your height in metres multiplied by that same figure) and then divide your weight by this number.
For example, if your weight is 65kg and your height is 1.70m, the calculation is: 1.70 x1.70 = 2.9, then 65 ⁄ 2.9 = 22.4
So that means your BMI is 22.4. A BMI of around 20–25 is ideal.
If you complete the online bioage check, your BMI will be calculated for you and you can enter your weight in kilograms or pounds and your height in metres or feet and inches if you prefer. (There are also a number of BMI calculators on the internet.)
What’s your score?
A 18-19
B 20-21
C 22-25
D 26-28
E 29 and above
Body-Fat Percentage
Your body-fat percentage tells you how much of your weight is made up of fat. You can find out your body-fat percentage in one of two ways.
Get yourself weighed on a set of body composition scales, or if you’re a member of a gym or have a personal trainer, they can usually calculate these measurements using skinfold callipers. (There are also a number
of body-fat percentage calculators on the internet. Although they will not be as accurate as using scales, they will give you a rough idea.)
A healthy level for women over 40 is 23–35 per cent. Men should have a much lower body-fat percentage, with a healthy level for men over 40 being around 12–23 percent.
What’s your score?
A 23-26
B 27-29
C 30-35
D 36-41
E 42 or above
WHR
Your waist-to-hip ratio, or WHR, is the ratio of your waist measurement to your hip measurement. The greater your waist-to-hip ratio the more ‘apple-shaped’ you are likely to be.
Apple-shaped weight gain is thought to be the most concerning type of weight gain, because as fat accumulates around the middle, you are likely to be increasing the fat around your internal organs such as your liver.
This increases your risk of a number of age-related conditions including heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (we’ll be explaining this later). Some authorities consider WHR much more useful than BMI.
To calculate your WHR, first take your measurements:
Your waist is midway between the top of your hips and the bottom of your ribcage.
Measure your hips at the widest point. The ratio is calculated by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement.
For example, if your waist measures 105cm and your hips measure
116cm, the calculation is: 105 ÷ 116 = 0.91
A ratio below 1.0 is considered healthy for men and below 0.85 is considered healthy for women.
If you complete the online bioage check, your WHR will be calculated for you when you enter your waist and hip measurements, which can be in centimetres or inches. (There are also a number of WHR calculators on the internet.)
What’s your score?
A 0.75
B 0.8
C 0.85-0.9
D 0.95
E 1 or more
Balance
Stand on one leg and put your hands on your hips. Note the time (in seconds) or set a stopwatch. How long can you keep your balance? Make a note of how long you lasted.
Excellent balance would be over a minute and is even better if you can do this with your eyes closed. This tests both your balance and strength, which tend to get worse with age.
If your balance is not good, practise each day and see how you progress – you can hold a finger against a wall to start with, if you are very wobbly.
Score yourself as follows:
30 seconds to 1 minute or more: score –2
15–30 seconds : score –1
10–15 seconds: score 0
5 seconds: score +1
1–2 seconds: score +2
What’s your score?
A 30 seconds to 1 minute or more
B 15-30 seconds
C 10-15 seconds
D 5 seconds
E 1-2 seconds
Flexibility
From standing, try to touch your toes with your legs straight (and your knees soft).
Score yourself as follows:
Touching toes without bending knees, score –2
Reaching ankles, score –1
Halfway down calves, score 0 Just past knees, score +1
Barely reaching knees, score +2
What’s your score?
A Can touch toes without bending knees
B Can reach ankles
C Can reach halfway down calve D Can reach just past knees
E Can barely touch knees
Lung Capacity
Take a regular birthday or small candle, light it and hold it at arm’s length. Try to blow it out.
How many attempts does it take?
If you were successful on the first attempt, score –2.
If it took a couple of attempts, score 0.
If you have to bend your arm to the equivalent of a hand’s length closer, score +1
If you have to move your arm to the equivalent of two hand’s lengths closer, score +2.
Score yourself as follows:
Successful first time, score –2
Successful second time, score –1
Took more attempts, score 0
Had to bend arm to bring candle closer, score +1
Had to bend arm more to bring the candle a lot closer, score +2
What’s your score?
A Successful first time
B Successful second time C Took more attempts
D Had to bring candle closer
E Had to bend arm more to bring the candle a lot closer
Eye Test
Eyesight tends to deteriorate with age. The important point is whether your eyesight is declining fast; you may wear glasses, but if your prescription doesn’t change, then your eyesight is holding up well.
What’s your score?
A No new prescription for 10 years or no need for glasses
B A stronger prescription every 5-10 years
C A stronger prescription every 2-5 years
D A stronger prescription every 2-3 years
E A stronger prescription every 12 months or so
Libido
A healthy sex drive is a sign of a healthy hormone balance and lifestyle.
Experiencing a drop in sex drive? Your levels of hormones such as oestrogen may be low.
What’s your score?
A Usual desire and good performance
B Slightly reduced desire and/or satisfactory performance
C Less than half the desire and/or satisfactory performance
D Little desire and much reduced satisfactory performance
E No desire or unsatisfactory performance
Your Score
-2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 |
For every A scored | For every B scored | For every C scored | For every D scored | For every E scored |
Want to reduce your biological age? The secret lies in the Telomeres: Our Biological Clock
Telomeres are the caps on the ends of our chromosomes or DNA strands. They are like the tips of shoelaces. Without these plastic tips on the ends of our shoelaces, the shoelaces quickly start unravelling. The same is true of our DNA.
As we age our telomeres gradually get shorter and shorter. This is like the sand in the hourglass ticking away the years of our lives. When our telomeres get too short our DNA is no longer protected. Thus, when cells divide, errors will be made causing cancer and other chronic medical conditions. Eventually, our telomeres get too short to maintain life.
Fortunately, there are things we can do now to lengthen our telomeres and reverse aging at the cellular level. By making these changes now, we can reverse our biological age and dramatically slow the overall aging process. We can start growing younger today!
6 Ways to Reverse Your Biological Age
1. Manage Stress to Shave 10 Years Off Your Telomeres
In a very interesting study, Dr. Elissa S. Epel from the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues determined that those who perceived they were under the most stress for the longest periods of time, prematurely aged their telomeres by about 10 years. Fortunately, in a separate study, she showed that mindfulness and meditation could reverse this premature aging effect to telomeres. While we cannot avoid stress, we can change how we perceive stress and we can block the effects of stress on our telomeres through mindfulness, meditation, etc.
2. Exercise To Take 10 Years of Your Telomeres
In a similar study, Dr. Lynn F. Cherkas from King’s College in London showed that in 2,401 twins that regular exercising slowed telomere aging by about 10 years when compared to their non-exercising twin. The message here is clear, exercise can reverse or slow the aging process.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet To Reverse Telomere Aging By 5 Years
Many studies have shown that a healthy diet can reverse or slow telomere aging. In particular, diets high in vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, seeds, and legumes can protect our telomeres from shortening. Sugar, processed foods, and processed meats have the opposite effect to our telomeres. Eat right to stay young!
4. Maintain an Ideal Weight To Lengthen Telomeres By 9 Years
Being overweight is another cause of premature aging. Carrying excessive weight causes oxidative stress, or “rusting,” to our cells resulting in telomere shortening and premature aging. Studies show that maintaining an ideal body weight can lengthen our telomeres by 9 years.
5. Sleep At Least 7 Hours To Reverse Telomere Old Age
Sleep is when our bodies go into repair mode. We need this repair process functioning optimally if we want to reverse our biologic age and “grow younger.”
In a fascinating study, researchers found that older people sleeping at least 7 hours had the telomeres of middle aged people. In other words, at the cellular level, you can completely reverse telomere “old age” with at least seven hours of restorative sleep each night.
6. Avoid Loneliness for Optimal Telomere Health
Social isolation, or feeling lonely, is not only a powerful predictor of heart disease but telomere shortening as well. In this study, social connection was shown to be an additional way to keep our telomeres long. Thus, if you want to slow the aging process, stay connected to your friends and family every day.