Biological Age By Dnam Phenoage
Aging is an inevitable process, but there are differences in susceptibility to age-related diseases and the risk of death among people of the same chronological age. This means that different people have differences in the rates of biological aging. To better understand the differences between biological and chronological age, it is necessary to measure biological aging. For this purpose, various calculators of biological age have been developed, which allow us to assess the impact of lifestyle on the aging process. One such biomarker is DNAm PhenoAge, a biological age biomarker developed at Yale University. DNAm PhenoAge has been explored in research as a marker related to general aging patterns1.
This article was last reviewed by Svetlana Baloban, Healsens, on March 4, 2023. This article was last modified on 28 February 2023.
What is Biological Age by DNAm PhenoAge?
DNAm PhenoAge is an aging biomarker developed at Yale University that measures a person’s biological age. It is based on data from NHANES III and includes 9 biomarkers, such as the number of red and white blood cells, as well as a person’s chronological age. It highlights associations with aging biology so users can explore long-term wellness themes2. Research has studied DNAm PhenoAge alongside population data to reveal patterns that accompany aging, and has been tested for accuracy in calculations on several patient cohorts taking into account age-related outcomes.
The DNAm PhenoAge score is a research-based indicator for exploring broader aging trends and reflecting on lifestyle before any obvious changes appear.
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How to determine your biological age?
To calculate biological age using DNAm PhenoAge, several simple blood tests need to be taken, including:
| Biological Age Blood Test | Units | |
| Albumin ↑ | Liver | g/L |
| Creatinine ↓ | Kidney | umol/L |
| Glucose, serum ↓ | Metabolic | mmol/L |
| C-reactive protein ↓ | Inflammation | mg/dL |
| Lymphocyte percent ↑ | Immune | % |
| Mean cell volume (MCV) ↓ | Immune | fL |
| Red cell distribution width (RDW) ↓ | Immune | % |
| Alkaline phosphatase ↓ | Liver | U/L |
| White blood cell count (WBC) ↓ | Immune | 1000 cells/uL |
| Age | Years |
In general, the DNAm PhenoAge biomarker can be determined through inexpensive blood tests, making it accessible to most people. You can track your DNAm PhenoAge score over time as a personal wellness metric.
Below you can see the biomarkers of our user who, over the course of several years, was able to reduce their biological age by 21 years compared to his chronological age with the help of changes in their diet and physical activity.
| Albumin | Creatinine | Glucose | hs C-react Protein | Lymphs (Lympocyte, % not absolute) | MCV (Mean Cell Volume) | RDW (Red Cell Dist Width) or Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW-SD)? | Alkaline Phosphatase | WBC (White Blood Cells) | Age |
| ↑ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↑ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | |
| 49 | 60.000 | 4.6 | 0.3 | 43.2 | 90 | 11.8 | 40 | 4.2 | 49.1 |
| g/L | umol/L | mmol/L | Ln(mg/L) | % | fL | % | U/L | 10^3 cells/uL | years |
How to use biological age calculator?
The calculated biological age by Levine’s DNAm PhenoAge is compared to the current chronological age. If the result is lower than your passport age, it is not only good news but also an indicator that your lifestyle positively affects your health. But what if the situation is the opposite? The most important thing is not to get upset! Now you know that you should pay attention to your health, and it makes sense to review your lifestyle. Thanks to the fact that there are several biomarkers, you can see what exactly to focus on. In addition, by making changes to your lifestyle, you can evaluate each individual indicator in addition to your biological age.
Using several wellness indicators can help you reflect on general lifestyle areas. Research shows that the body does not age uniformly: the heart, kidneys, immune system, and other organs each follow their own trajectory of aging3. Research explores how different body systems may age at varying rates.
This means that beyond knowing your overall biological age, it can be interesting to see how wellness indicators vary across body systems4. A single person may experience rapid aging in one organ and slow aging in another, creating a unique biological profile. Likewise, among individuals of the same chronological age, the rate of aging across different systems — cardiovascular, respiratory, immune, metabolic — can vary remarkably.
One of the strengths of this method is that it relies on multiple biomarkers, allowing you to understand precisely which areas deserve your focus. As you make changes to your lifestyle, you can track not only the evolution of your overall biological age but also the progress of each individual indicator.
To determine whether each biomarker is moving in a positive direction, let’s return to Table 1. Each indicator is marked with an arrow ↓ or ↑. These arrows show the direction associated with slower aging. For example, a downward arrow “↓” next to glucose means that lower glucose levels are linked to a younger biological age.
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Is it possible to reverse biological aging?
Some pilot studies explore whether lifestyle adjustments can shift epigenetic markers, but results are presented as exploratory observations5.
This is a very interesting observation, and there are several factors that can influence biological aging. Our lifestyle, comprising factors such as diet, physical activity, and stress, is considered a crucial element that affects biological age. In an effort to reverse the biological age in humans, researchers utilized a combination of diet, physical activity, and stress resilience techniques. The study monitored a group of individuals who were enrolled in a health program featuring a balanced low-calorie diet, daily 30-minute exercise at 60-80 percent intensity of maximum perceived exertion, and breathing exercises twice a day.
Additionally, the study also focused on the quality of sleep, and it was discovered that insomnia was linked to an increase in DNAmAge clocks. Another study also found a connection between poor sleep quality/less sleep hours and accelerated aging in a small sample of 12 college female students6.
Participants in one small study saw lower DNAm scores after healthy lifestyle changes; results may not generalize.
» Tired and overwhelmed? Check your allostatic load — the science of stress impact.
How to Calculate Your Biological Age with Healsens
Healsens calculates your biological age using blood biomarkers, helping you understand how your body is aging compared to your chronological age.
Living in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, or Germany? You can order the required blood tests directly through the Healsens app or our online store. Your biological age will be calculated in the app once your results are available.
1. Order your Biological Age blood test through the Healsens app (Risks → Biological Age) or our online store.
2. Download Healsens from Google Play or the App Store.
3. Sign in to your Healsens account. If you ordered through our online store, your account is created automatically.
4. Once your blood test results are available in the app, your biological age will be calculated, along with personalized insights.
Already have recent blood test results? You can also upload them or enter them manually in the app to calculate your biological age, provided all required biomarkers are available.
» The Vitality Check kit combines several wellness-related markers to give a broad lifestyle snapshot.
Note
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, France, or Germany, or using a different laboratory? No problem! You can have the required blood tests performed at a laboratory of your choice, then upload your results to Healsens or enter them manually.
Important: When entering results manually, always check the units of measurement. For example, C-reactive protein (CRP) may be reported in mg/L or mg/dL. A result of 1 mg/dL equals 10 mg/L — entering the wrong unit can significantly affect your biological age calculation.
Once all required biomarkers are available, Healsens can calculate your biological age and help you track changes over time.
Your biological age insights, wherever you are.
Then, manually enter your results in the Healsens app. The app can offer general wellness tips and lifestyle suggestions based on the information you enter.
FURTHER READING
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- An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan
- An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan
- Personal aging markers and ageotypes revealed by deep longitudinal profiling
- Novel machine learning framework for multidimensional biological age estimation reveals heterogeneous aging of organ systems
- Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: a pilot randomized clinical trial
- A pilot prospective study of sleep patterns and DNA methylation-characterized epigenetic aging in young adults
