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 is capable of predicting risks of various aging outcomes in tissues and cells and provides insight into important pathways of aging2. The DNAm PhenoAge biomarker has been validated in NHANES IV as a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality risk, 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 sometimes used to explore overall aging trends. It may offer a general wellness snapshot before noticeable changes. For most people, this can be a good indicator of the real state of their health before they encounter any diagnoses.
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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 studies suggest healthy habits may support youthful wellness markers. In 2021, it was published the results of a pilot randomized clinical trial that demonstrated the ability to reverse biological age and was confirmed by objective outcomes5.
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
To calculate your biological age, you need blood test results. The required list of tests is shown above. If you have routine lab results, you may log them in the app to view your wellness score.
Living in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, or Germany? You can also order the tests directly through the Healsens app and make the process even easier.
Here’s how it works:
1. Download the Healsens app from the Google Play or the App Store, depending on your device.
2. Register in the app to unlock personalized features.
3. Go to the “Risks” section and open the “Biological Age” tab.
4. Tap “Add to Cart” and complete your order.
You can request a convenience kit to collect samples for general wellness lab panels.
Once you complete the blood test, the results will automatically appear in your app, and your biological age will be calculated.
» The Vitality Check kit combines several wellness-related markers to give a broad lifestyle snapshot.
Note
Not in the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany, or using a different lab? No problem — you can have the recommended blood tests done at any local lab.
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.
✦ natural recommendations to help improve your values
✦ a complete general wellness overview
✦ personalized wellness tips
Healsens remains your personal guide to preventive health — no matter where you are.
FURTHER READING
Source: ©️2019 Healsens B.V. All right reserved
- 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
