I am new to this program. Can anyone provide a short summary of how biological age is determined? A few years ago I was told my biological age was lower than my actual age but not by as much as I was told today. .I am 73 and my biological age was determined to be 58. I have taken Rapamycin for 4-5 weeks. I have been getting in a few good workouts. However I am overweight and I have a fatty liver, so the age is surprising.
Hello! Brandon and Rich here from the Clinical Team.
The biological age is a snapshot in time and does not account for trends. There are specific markers used for this calculation, which is an important point to consider. For example, let’s say you had some type of illness or infection proximal to your lab draw, where CRP, lymphocytes, and WBC’s were substantially out of range. This would be reflected in your bio age output.
The Horvath Levine and Klemera-Doubal (KDM) method is what we use to calculate biological age. This method combines various blood biomarkers to produce a composite score that estimates biological age. With some biological age calculations, underlying diagnoses may not factor into your biological age score. Therefore, if you have solid lab results across key areas and specific markers, your bio age can still appear in good standing. Here’s a peer-reviewed publication that explains the origin and workings of biological age calculations most similar to the estimate we use at Healthspan: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05456-z
Additionally, research has shown that biological age, when calculated using this method, is a more reliable predictor of mortality. In a study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), this method outperformed others like multiple linear regression (MLR) and principal component analysis (PCA) in predicting mortality outcomes over an 18-year follow-up period. It was particularly effective because it provided robust estimates that were highly correlated with mortality. Here’s a link to the specific investigation that examines the effectiveness of biological age calculation in relation to mortality risk data - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5940111/
Even so, limitations remain with biological clock calculations. The aging process involves complex interactions among numerous biological pathways, and no single biomarker can capture the entire process. The composite nature of a biological age estimate removes some nuance and individual diagnostics from the results. Additionally, the algorithms used to calculate biological age are often derived from specific population datasets, which means the results may not be universally applicable, especially to populations with different genetic, environmental, or lifestyle factors.
If you would like to discuss further, please feel free to reach out directly at brandon@gethealthspan.com. Thanks for your question!