People have been pursuing the desire for eternal youth for thousands of years. People have tried out not only strange but also life-threatening methods over the years. Whether mercury treatment, electron therapy, or the implantation of monkey glands – there were no limits to creativity in the past. X-ray facials were also in vogue for a while. Fortunately, thanks to modern research, we know much more today. While aging used to be determined solely by visual characteristics or one's own feelings, there are now scientific methods such as the Horvath clock that can objectively determine biological age.
But not only that, science has shown that our biological age is reversible. Some even dream that in the future we will be able to completely turn back our biological clock and thus (theoretically) live forever. Even if we are still a long way from that today, research in this area is developing rapidly.
Here we give you an overview of this exciting topic. We explain to you what distinguishes biological from chronological age , what the Horvath clock is, and why research into human clones is potentially revolutionary therapy for the future.
What do we mean by aging?
Before we get into the middle of the matter, we first have to deal with aging per se. Even based on current knowledge, the process of human aging is not yet fully understood. What's behind the aging process? Why are we so much more susceptible to illness in our later decades of life?
According to recent research results, genetic and epigenetic factors in particular are crucial for the aging process in humans. To understand the complex mechanisms behind aging, scientists such as López-Otin have defined the Hallmarks of Aging . They are the key mechanisms that contribute to aging.
What is biological age?
The biological age is not only determined by the months or Years that a person lives (this is the chronological age), but refers to the physical and mental condition. Specifically, this means: a person is 40 calendar years old, but their biological age can be less than or greater than 40. The more your biological age differs from your chronological age, the younger or older you are at the cellular level. A baby is born with a biological age of 0 years. However, over time, each person's biological age increases.
Some people succeed in colloquially “keeping themselves well”. In other words, this idiom describes how one looks younger than one's actual chronological age. There is also the opposite case, where people look significantly older or sicker than they actually are.
Did you know? In the so-called Rejuvenation Olympics, a type of rejuvenation competition, there is an “Epigenetic Leaderboard “. There, participants compete to see who can reduce their biological age the most. The founder is Bryan Johnson, a biotech entrepreneur who invests several million dollars annually in rejuvenation therapies. There is no German counterpart (yet).
What role does biological age play in longevity?
Biological age is directly related to a person's longevity. In this large meta study it was shown that measuring biological age is a reliable method for expected lifespan. In addition, the researchers identified factors that accelerate biological age. These included many chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, HIV but also smoking, drinking and socio-economic status. However, if there are factors that make people age faster, it must also be possible to “turn back the clock” or at least slow it down.
Doctors like Oliver Zolman, founder of the Longevity School and Zolman Clinics, are working on this. With his approach, he wants to turn the biological clock of 80-year-olds back to that of a 60-year-old by 2030. Sounds ambitious, but also a bit surreal at first. But there will definitely be significant breakthroughs in the field of longevity research in the coming years - and all of them are directly related to biological age.
Measuring biological age thanks to Steve Horvath
Especially in connection with the aging process, there are several clues that can be used, among other things.a can assess biological age. These include determining telomere length or evaluating certain biomarkers in the blood. The currently best-known method for determining biological age is a so-called “epigenetic test”. The idea for the Horvath Clock, presented in 2011, goes back to the relatively new research field of epigenetics.
Epigenetic changes do not affect the genetic code itself. This is what the ancient Greek syllable “epi” means, meaning “around” or “on” – beyond our DNA. In epigenetics we are not concerned with mutations, but rather with modifications that influence the activity of certain genes. These modifications include, for example, methylation, which leads to the shutdown of cellular processes. Here, a chemical group (CH3) is transferred to certain parts of the genetic code, which means that proteins, for example, are no longer produced.
With increasing age, not only random but also typical epigenetic changes occur. Since these changes (methylations) can be measured, it is possible to draw conclusions about a person's biological age. Using this information, Steve Horvath and his colleagues were able to develop a special algorithm that can be used to determine biological age.
Do you know your biological age? The epiAge test has the answer.
epiAge test from MoleQlar
A team led by Professor Moshe Szyf at McGill University in Montreal refined Horvath's methodology. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the information obtained can be analyzed more quickly and put into a larger context in order to recognize underlying patterns and changes and derive important insights from them. The MoleQlar epiAge test is based on exactly this method. By analyzing a certain number of markers, the most accurate and, above all, reproducible results possible are possible.
Comparison tests often analyze hundreds or even thousands of markers - but it is now known that this is not an advantage. Although the tests promise multiple data points, the complexity creates big differences when a test is carried out twice.
Biological age – it could be more understandable?
Admittedly, the whole thing was pretty scientific. Here's an analogy that might help you better understand an epigenetic age test. Imagine your DNA is the text in a book. But you never read the entire book because it is far too big, but only sections of it. And so that you can remember which sections you want to read, you stuck small Post-It notes at the beginning and end of the text passage. These Post-it notes are your epigenetic markers, methylated sites on your DNA. They do not change your DNA per se, but rather determine which sections are read or can be found and which ones cannot. If this explanation doesn't help you, you can read our article on epigenetics . There we compare the markers with the volume controls for a better understanding.
Through researchers like Dr. Steve Horvath we discovered that some of these “Post-it notes” are suitable for measuring a person's biological age.
Epigenetic tests are usually simple saliva tests - including MoleQlar's own epiAge test
Why should I lower my biological age?
A high biological age is associated with many diseases such as:b Cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such as:b Dementia. Researchers have developed algorithms that allow them to statistically evaluate the influence of biological age.
In addition to the epigenetic clock, telomere length has also become the focus of longevity research. One study showed that telomere length is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease. This means: The longer the telomeres are, the lower the likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular diseases. A similar connection was found between telomere length and Alzheimer's disease. It therefore makes sense to keep your biological age as low as possible.
Did you know? In a clinical study by Prof. Sekhar was able to detect an improvement in various hallmarks of aging in older subjects who regularly took GlyNAC. These include less inflammation, fewer senescent cells, reduced genomic instability and improved insulin sensitivity. This is one of the few studies where direct results have been examined in humans and not just animals.
GlyNAC is a promising molecule when it comes to cellular energy and biological age.
How can I lower my biological age?
There are a variety of methods and strategies to reduce biological age. Some of these are based on giving up certain habits or a change in lifestyle. Oliver Zolman has also compiled scientific figures on this.
According to experts, being a non-smoker can extend life by up to 12 years compared to smoking. Sport and exercise would potentially extend life by 8 years. Further measures include a calorie-reduced diet (e.g.B the fasting), a healthy BMI between 18.5 and 22.5 and according to a study Paradoxically, so does consuming half a glass of wine because of the polyphenols it contains.
One of the potentially interesting ingredients in (red) wine is the so-called Resveratrol. However, it should be mentioned at this point that the correlation between longevity and moderate wine consumption was not always reproducible in follow-up studies.
For powder fans and capsule lovers - Trans-Resveratrol from MoleQlar is there for everyone.
Rejuvenation á la Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson, the biotech entrepreneur and longevity hacker mentioned earlier, is also relying on a sophisticated longevity plan to reduce his biological age. He also eats 3 vegan meals and fasts between 16 and 18 hours every day. We have also written about the advantages of a plant-based diet and intermittent fasting in a previous article.
Johnson's diet consists of larger amounts of high-fiber fruits and vegetables and plant-based protein. In addition, he takes the incredible amount of 111 nutritional supplements every day! His daily supplement routine includes:a Vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, NAD precursors, Calcium alphaketoglutarate or Glucosamine.
Did you know? Blood for rejuvenation - this questionable method was tested on mice by scientists from Harvard and Duke University. The bloodstreams of young mice were connected to those of older mice – also known in technical jargon as parabiosis . It was shown for the first time that in addition to improved stem cell function, increased cognitive performance, and the epigenetic age of the old mice could also be reduced. This led to the old mice living longer and being in better health. The task of the research is now to find out which factors in the blood of the young mice are responsible for the decline in biological age.
NAD boosters, SIRT1 activators and spermidine – how longevity molecules affect aging
In a very extensive Paper the well-known aging researcher Dr. David Sinclair described the molecular processes behind aging and provided a summary of studies on reversing epigenetic age. He describes four stages in the life of a cell:
- A0: The embryonic cell. At this age the cell is young and healthy
- A1: The young cell: The first age-related changes occur in the otherwise healthy cell
- A2: Aged cell: The cell has aged and is no longer as functional
- A3: Senescent cell: The cell has reached the end of its life and can no longer divide
Dr. In his paper, Sinclair describes possible starting points for turning back biological age. This is mainly about A2 cells, because these can be rejuvenated in various ways. It all has to do with the fasting process. We have briefly summarized the most important findings for you below. If you want to know the exact biochemical background, you can find it in our Fasting article.
Sirtuins
The Sirtuins are a group of proteins that have the potential to extend life. SIRT1 in particular, which requires NAD as a cofactor, plays an important role. High NAD levels, for example through the supplementation of precursors, together with the activation of SIRT1 (for example by fasting, or molecules like Resveratrol or glucosamine) lead to a measurable reduction in the biological age.
Spermidine
In addition, the molecule spermidine also appears to be effective. On the one hand, spermidine is closely related to improved autophagy. If our in-house garbage disposal is strengthened, old, broken cells (A2) will be disposed of better. At the same time, spermidine acts on histones. You can think of histones like the wrapping string on a gift. They are around your DNA. Spermidine, similar to SIRT1, can loosen histones so that the underlying DNA can be read. The crucial thing is that the loosened histones are located in places in the DNA that are associated with longer life.
Did you know? As we age, our NAD levels decrease. We now know that high NAD levels have a positive effect on our health. They can also help reduce our biological age by supporting the activity of SIRT1.
How can we counteract the decline in NAD levels with age? There are three possible approaches: Firstly, you can use the precursors of NAD supplement. Secondly, the NAD-producing enzymes support. And thirdly, slow down the degradation of NAD. You can find all three options combined, for example, in the regeNAD complex from MoleQlar. If you would like to determine your NAD level, our NAD dried blood test offers you an easy way to do so.
Use MoleQlar's NAD test to find out where you stand in terms of your NAD levels.
Reprogramming old cells? A possible approach for the future
Strengthening old cells through exercise, supplementation and diet is a promising approach in aging research. But if you want to turn back the biological clock even further, this approach will not be enough. Here we have to delve into the research area of stem cells:
What are stem cells anyway?
Each of us has an entire arsenal of stem cells. For example, stem cells in our bone marrow ensure that we can constantly produce new red blood cells, immune cells and platelets. Simply put, a stem cell is able to develop into different cells. Their “potency” depends on the type of stem cell.
Let's go back to our example: When a "hematopoietic" stem cell in the bone marrow divides, it can transform into a red blood cell, an erythrocyte - but also into a lymphocyte or monocyte. Both representatives of our immune system. However, the hematopoietic stem cell cannot transform into a kidney, liver or heart muscle cell. Since our stem cells are no longer as efficient as we get older, we have fewer immune cells and are more susceptible to infections.
So perhaps the secret of biological rejuvenation is hidden here? Could we use healthy, new stem cells to renew our organs, strengthen the immune system and stop aging? This is still an idea of the future, but it can certainly become a reality.
Stem cells and the Yamanaka factors
The foundation for this was laid by the Japanese Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka from Kyoto University. He discovered the Yamanaka factors in 2006/2007. By introducing 4 genes, Yamanaka was able to convert skin cells back into embryonic stem cells. These are also known as induced pluripotent stem cells, iPS for short. These cells are able to transform into all types of tissue, similar to a human clone.
However, the discovery was followed by disillusionment because the introduced genes caused cancer. We are not yet ready to renew our organs with stem cells. However, research is being carried out in this area with great enthusiasm and groundbreaking new therapeutic approaches could potentially emerge here.
Summary
Biological age is a decisive factor when it comes to longevity or Longevity Therefore, you should try to keep this as low as possible. In line with the motto “Healthy Aging”, which means nothing other than that you age healthily. the chronological age is higher than the biological age. In the future, it will remain exciting to see whether and when there will be rejuvenation therapies that can drastically reset the biological age. In the MoleQlar magazine we will keep you up to date!
