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Biological Age: How Old Are You . . . Really? |
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Written by Paul L. Hester, M.D.
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Tuesday, 07 October 2008 |
 Unless you’ve inherited a rare genetic disorder or have been in an accident, everyone generally starts aging at a similar rate. By the time we hit our 30s, however, biologic function and performance has already started to decline for many. The rate of decline varies dramatically among individuals. While some people will lose a function as they age, others will show almost no decline at all. In fact, for many functions some people can even improve as they progress from thirty-five to eighty years.
You know how old you are. However, do you know how your body currently functions physically and biologically compared to people at different chronological ages? Some call this our biological age. Measuring biological age is a way of determining your risk of aging-related disability or dying, compared to that of someone either older or younger than you are. By making unhealthy choices in life, it is possible to age biologically at a rate equivalent to someone 15-20 years older. The question is how can you be one of those people who show almost no decline over time? The goal is not necessarily to live longer but to live better, suffering less illness and disability.
Many assume that how a person ages is carved in “genetic stone.” But studies continue to show that for most of us, lifestyle choices and behaviors have far more impact on longevity and health than our genes. A handful of genes that manage your body’s defenses during stressful times can also dramatically improve your health and prolong life. Sirtuins, a family of genes that control an organism’s ability to withstand hard times, may be master regulators of this survival mechanism. Sirtuins can cause changes throughout your body that render it temporarily revved up for survival. Activated over the long term, this stress response prolongs life span and forestalls disease in a wide range of organisms.
Restricting an animal’s calorie intake is the most famous intervention known to extend life span. Discovered more than 70 years ago, it is still the only one absolutely proven to work. The restricted regime typically involves reducing an individual’s calorie intake by 30 to 40 percent, while avoiding malnutrition by consuming adequate vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients. Animals that remain on this diet not only live longer but also are far healthier during their prolonged lives. Most diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and even neurodegenerative illnesses are averted. Calorie restriction acts like a biological stressor, like natural food scarcity, that induces a defensive response to boost the organism’s chances of survival. Its effects include changes in cellular defenses and repair, energy production, and activation of programmed cell death.
Radical calorie restriction is not for everyone and is best started under supervision of an experienced physician. Similar, though less dramatic, benefits might still be realized with a slightly less radical calorie restriction, and by carefully selecting foods low in calories but high in micronutrients to avoid malnutrition. Fruits and especially vegetables are good examples of nutrient dense, calorie poor foods. Avoid supersizing your meals. Additionally, consuming resveratrol, one of several compounds produced by plants in response to stress has also been found to modulate Sirtuins, suggesting that the plants may use such molecules to control their own Sirtuin enzymes. Resveratrol is present in grape skins, red wine, peanuts and mulberries. If you aspire to safely and effectively unlock the power of your longevity genes and live ‘younger,’ a visit to board-certified preventive aging physician might be just what the doctor ordered. While we cannot turn back the clock chronologically, we can rewind it, and possibly set it back biologically.
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