For thousands of years, people have been pursuing the desire for eternal youth. Over the years, people have tried out not only strange but also sometimes life-threatening methods. Whether mercury treatment, electron therapy or the implantation of monkey glands - there were no limits to creativity in the past. X-ray facial treatments were also fashionable for a while. Fortunately, thanks to modern research, we now know much more. Whereas in the past, ageing was only determined 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 turn back our biological clock completely and thus (theoretically) live forever. Even if we are still a long way from this today, research in this field is developing rapidly.
Here we give you an overview of this exciting field. We explain what distinguishes biological from chronological age , what the Horvath clock is, and why research into human cloning has triggered a potentially revolutionary future therapy.
What does aging mean? Causes and mechanisms
Before we get right into the matter, we first need to look at ageing per se. Because even according to current knowledge, the process of human ageing is not yet fully understood. What is behind the aging process? Why are we so much more susceptible to disease in our later decades of life?
According to recent research, genetic and epigenetic factors in particular are decisive for the ageing process in humans. In order to understand the complex mechanisms behind ageing, scientists such as López-Otin have defined the Hallmarks of Aging . They are the key mechanisms that contribute to ageing.
What is biological age and how does it differ from chronological age?
Biological age is not only measured by the months or years a person has lived (this is chronological age), but refers to physical and mental health. In concrete terms, this means that a person is 40 calendar years old, but their biological age can be less or greater than 40. The more the biological age deviates from the chronological age, the younger or older you are at the cellular level . A baby is born with a biological age of 0 years. Over time, however, the biological age of every person increases.
Some people colloquially manage to " keep themselves well ". In other words, this phrase describes the fact that their appearance appears younger than their actual chronological age. There is also the opposite case, where people look significantly older or sicker than they actually are.
Did you know? There is an "Epigenetic Leaderboard" at the so-called Rejuvenation Olympics, a kind of rejuvenation competition. 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 a year in rejuvenation therapies. There is not (yet) a German equivalent.
What role does biological age play in longevity?
Biological age is directly related to a person's longevity. In this large metastudy it was shown that the measurement of 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 such as 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 person by 2030. Sounds ambitious, but also a little surreal at first. However, there will certainly 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 with the Horvath clock and epigenetic tests
In the context of the ageing process in particular, there are several indicators that can be used to u.a. assess biological age. These include the determination of telomere length or the evaluation of certain biomarkers in the blood . Probably the best-known method of determining biological age at present is a so-called " epigenetic test". The idea for the Horvarth 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 referred to by the ancient Greek syllable "epi", which means around or on - i.e. beyond our DNA. In epigenetics the focus is therefore not on mutations, but on modifications that influence the activity of certain genes. These modifications include methylation, for example, which leads to the shutdown of cellular processes . In this process, a chemical group (CH3) is transferred to certain sites in the genetic code, as a result of which proteins are no longer produced, for example.
With increasing age, there are not only random but also typical epigenetic changes . As these changes (methylations) can be measured, it is possible to draw conclusions about a person's biological age. From this information, Steve Horvath and his colleagues have been able to develop a special algorithm that can be used to determine biological age .
Epigenetic age explained simply: How the measurement works
Admittedly, the whole thing was expressed in rather scientific terms. Here's an analogy that might help you better understand an epigenetic age test . Imagine your DNA is the text in a book. However, 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 have stuck small post-it notes at the beginning and end of the text passage. These post-it notes are your epigenetic markers, methylated spots on your DNA. They do not change your DNA per se, but determine which sections are read or found and which are not. 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 have found that some of these "post-it notes" can be used to measure a person's biological age.
Epigenetic tests are usually simple saliva tests - such as the in-houseMolecu lar profile e testfrom MoleQlar.
Why should you lower your biological age?
High biological age is associated with many diseases such asz.B. Cancers, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such asz.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, the lower the probability of suffering from cardiovascular disease . A similar correlation has been established between telomere length and Alzheimer's disease. It therefore makes sense to keep your biological age as low as possible. You can find out more about the connection between telomere attrition and ageing in our article on telomere attrition.
Did you know In a clinical study by Prof. Sekhar, older subjects were found to improve various Hallmarks of Aging when taking GlyNAC on a regular basis. These included less inflammation, fewer senescent cells, reduced genomic instability and improved insulin sensitivity. This is one of the few studies where direct results have been studied in humans and not just in animals.
GlyNACis a promising molecule when it comes to cellular energy and also biological age.
Methods to reduce biological age - lifestyle, diet& exercise
There are a variety of methods and strategies to reduce biological age. Some of them are based on giving up certain habits or changing your lifestyle. Oliver Zolman has also compiled scientific figures on this.
According to experts, being a non-smoker can extend your life by up to 12 years compared to smoking. Sport and exercise would potentially extend life by 8 years. Other measures include a calorie-reduced diet (z.Bthe fasting ), a healthy BMI between 18.5 and 22.5 and paradoxically, according to one study, the consumption of half a glass of wine due to 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 for everyone.
Example Bryan Johnson: How an entrepreneur wants to lower his biological age
Bryan Johnson , the biotech entrepreneur and longevity hacker mentioned earlier, also relies on a sophisticated longevity plan to reduce his biological age. He eats 3 vegan meals and fasts between 16 and 18 hours a day. We have also written about the benefits of a plant-based diet and intermittent fasting in previous articles - and in our article on longevity and nutrition , we take a closer look at and compare a few types of diet.
Johnson's diet consists of large amounts of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and plant-based protein. In addition, he takes a staggering 111 supplements a day! His daily supplement routine includes u.a Vitamin D , Omega-3-Fettsäuren , NAD-Vorstufen, Calcium Alphaketoglutarat oder Glucosamin .
Did you know Blood for rejuvenation - this questionable method was tested on mice by scientists at Harvard and Duke University. The blood circulation of young mice was connected to that of older mice - also known as parabiosis in technical jargon. It was shown for the first time that in addition to improved stem cell function, increased cognitive performance, the epigenetic age of the old mice could also be reduced . This led to a longer life for the old mice and a better state of 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.
Reducing biological age through molecular approaches - NAD, SIRT1 & amp; spermidine in focus
In a very comprehensive paper the well-known ageing researcher Dr. David Sinclair has described the molecular processes behind ageing and summarized the studies on the reversal of epigenetic ageing. 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 ageing changes occur in the otherwise healthy cell
- A2: Aged cell: The cell is aged and no longer as functional
- A3: Senescent cell: The cell has reached the end of its life and can no longer divide
Dr. Sinclair describes in his paper possible starting points for turning back biological age. This mainly concerns A2 cells, as 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 Fastingarticle.
Sirtuine
The sirtuins are a group of proteins that are potentially life-prolonging. 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 through fasting , or molecules such as resveratrol or glucosamine ) lead to a measurable reduction in biological age.
Spermidin
In addition, the molecule spermidine also appears to be effective. On the one hand, spermidine is closely associated with improved autophagy . If our own waste disposal system is strengthened, old, broken cells (A2) are disposed of more effectively. At the same time, spermidine acts on the histones. You can think of histones as the packaging string of a gift. They are wrapped around your DNA. Like SIRT1, spermidine can loosen histones so that the underlying DNA can be read. The crucial thing here is that the loosened histones are located in areas of the DNA that are associated with a 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 to lower 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: First, we can supplement precursors of NAD . Second, support the NAD-producing enzymes . And thirdly, slow down the degradation of NAD. You can find all three options combined in the regeNAD complex from MoleQlar, for example. If you want to determine your NAD level, our NAD dry blood - testoffers you an easy way to do so.
With the NAD test from MoleQlar, you can find out where you stand with regard to your NAD level.
Turning back the biological clock? Future vision of stem cells
Strengthening old cells through exercise, supplementation and diet is a promising approach in ageing research. However, if we want to turn back the biological clock even further, this approach will not be enough. This is where we need to delve into the research field of stem cells:
What are stem cells? Basics explained
Each of us has a whole 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. Simplified, a stem cell is able to develop into different cells . Its "potency" depends on the type of stem cell.
Let's return to our example: a "haematopoietic" stem cell in the bone marrow can transform into a red blood cell, an erythrocyte, during division - but also into a lymphocyte or monocyte. Both are representatives of our immune system. However, the haematopoietic stem cell cannot transform into a kidney, liver or heart muscle cell. As our stem cells become less efficient with age, we have fewer immune cells and are more susceptible to infections.
So is this perhaps the secret of biological rejuvenation? Could we use healthy, new stem cells to renew our organs, strengthen the immune system and stop ageing? This is still a vision of the future, but it may well become a reality.
Yamanaka factors and iPS cells - a glimpse into the future of rejuvenation
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, or 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, as the introduced genes triggered cancer. So we are not yet ready to renew our organs with stem cells . However, research is being carried out with great zeal in this area and it is possible that groundbreaking new therapeutic approaches could emerge here.
Conclusion: Measuring biological age and healthy ageing
Biological age is a decisive factor when it comes to longevity. You should therefore try to keep it as low as possible. According to the motto "Healthy Ageing", which means nothing other than ageing healthily or that your chronological age is higher than your biological age . In the future, it will be exciting to see if and when there will be rejuvenation therapies that can drastically reduce biological age. We'll keep you up to date on this in MoleQlar magazine!
