The term anti-aging can be found particularly on product descriptions and in numerous colorful glossy magazines and is increasingly being used as an overarching term for marketing purposes in the beauty and health industry. Exclusive creams and nutritional supplements often promise eternal youth and an immediate interruption of the aging process. The goal should never again be wrinkles, weak bones or chronic illnesses. But can the progression of aging really be tricked so easily and how can biological age be scientifically determined? We clarify the answers to these exciting questions in this article.
According to our current state of knowledge, the process of human aging cannot yet be fully explained. However, there are already fundamental findings in this context. Accordingly, genetic and epigenetic factors in particular are crucial for the aging process in humans. One of the most famous scientists who specializes in the study of the aging process is the Professor David Sinclair. The Australian aging researcher and geneticist from Harvard University has been working for decades on the question of how the process of physical aging can be slowed down. As part of his research, he intensively searches for remedies that can slow down, stop or even reverse the aging process. He tests the preparations on himself, his wife and his three dogs, among others. The 50 year old Prof. Sinclair often says that he feels more like a 30-year-old man and therefore feels that he is significantly younger than the age stated on his passport. In addition to chronological age as a pure indication of time, there is also a person's biological age. This age results from the physical and mental development or state of decay. Accordingly, biological age can certainly differ from the pure sum of years of life.
An objective method for estimating biological age is the so-called Horvath Clock. This procedure is also known as the Epigenetic Clock (epigenetic clock) and was developed by Professor Steve Horvath and his colleagues. The gerontologist and geneticist at the University of California uses DNA analyzes for his biochemical testing procedure to determine human age. Essentially, DNA methylation plays a crucial role here. These are chemical changes to the basic building blocks of a cell's genetic material. The result of the age estimation is therefore also referred to as DNA methylation age. The result of age estimation through DNA analyzes is comparatively precise and can be precisely determined to within a few years of biological age. A saliva sample is sufficient for the test. This means that the non-invasive test procedure has significant advantages over X-rays or blood samples to determine age.
The basis for the Horvarth Clock introduced in 2011 comes from epigenetics, which obtains special information based on individual chemical and structural changes to the genome (genetic material). With increasing age, for example, characteristic epigenetic changes occur, which makes it possible to draw conclusions about a person's biological age. Using this information, Horvath and his colleagues were able to develop a special algorithm. The algorithm can be used to determine the age of different tissues from the same person. Therefore, it is also possible to identify tissues in the body that show evidence of increased or decreased age. Horvath and his colleagues were also able to show that DNA methylation age can predict, among other things, life expectancy.
To determine biological age, there are self-tests for which a saliva sample is sufficient. Such tests are freely available online from 199 euros and do not require a doctor's referral or order.
In addition to the Horvath Clock, there are other epigenetic clocks, e.g. b PhenoAge or GrimAge. Both test procedures are used, among other things, to determine and predict life expectancy and to calculate the remaining time that can be spent in complete health. In summary, epigenetic clocks like the Horvath Clock offer a unique opportunity to better understand the aging process in people and thus help doctors and scientists worldwide in researching the aging process.
Epigenetic clocks can make statements about whether a person is ahead of their chronological age or is still below the sum of their pure years of life. Age and, above all, the speed of aging are particularly linked to individual lifestyle habits and lifestyle. As a result, aging is influenced by factors such as diet, physical activity or the social environment. Excessive consumption of harmful stimulants such as alcohol has a negative impact on biological age, and health-promoting factors such as regular exercise and a balanced and healthy diet have a positive effect on the aging process. Based on current knowledge, scientists assume that 25 percent of a person's lifespan depends on genes and 75 percent on lifestyle and lifestyle. Therefore, biological age can also be greatly influenced by a healthy lifestyle.
Epigenetic clocks can already help to better understand diseased and healthy cells that have changed due to age. This makes it fundamentally possible to better predict and estimate the risk of certain diseases associated with aging. The algorithms of the test procedures are continuously developed and optimized in order to continually improve the accuracy of the results. Epigenetic clocks will become increasingly important in medicine, particularly in an aging population due to demographic change.
