MenoLabs News | Fri, Dec 20, 2024

Q. I tried a kiosk at a pharmacy that said that I’m 36 in healthy age even though I’m 42. Can there be truth to tests like this if I eat well and stay active?

A. Maybe. It depends on what information the pharmacy was using to come up with your biological age. There are some lab tests available that can assess biological age which is your “health age” or “cellular age” versus your chronological age, or the age you last turned on your birthday.  These generally look at one or a combination of the following lab tests*:

• Telomere length: Telomeres are at the end of our chromosomes, and they naturally shorten as we age. The shorter our telomeres, the greater our risk of developing disease. While interesting and perhaps useful, the length of our telomeres has about 40% chance of accurately assessing biological age and is not readily available to most consumers.
• DNA Methylation: Looking at different sites in our DNA and assessing their methylation status. Some areas get methylated (which is simply the addition, or taking away, of a methyl group which is a Carbon attached to 3 Hydrogens). This test is sophisticated, expensive, and not readily available to consumers or practitioners.
• Questionnaires: There are various subjective questionnaires that can be used to estimate your bio age. These questions ask about nutrition, movement, hydration, sleep, quality of our relationships, mental health, how much time we spend in nature… They are very thorough.
• Metabolic markers and inflammatory blood markers:
• Metabolic Markers – assess how efficiently our body generates energy from food. When these processes are running smoothly, we can have optimal metabolic health which is important for our hearth, brain, metabolism, energy, and immunity. There are certain biomarkers in the blood that provides a window into your metabolic health:
  • Fasting glucose
  • Fasting insulin
  • Fasting Triglycerides
  • HgA1C
  • Lipid Panel
• Inflammatory Makers - inflammation is the root of most chronic disease and increase the risk of developing heart disease, which is the number one killer in women. Two lab markers that can assess inflammation are:
  • hsCRP
  • Sed Rate

 

The most useful way you can understand if this test was accurate or useful is check again with the same test, after making a positive lifestyle change that supports longevity, and see if your chronological age improves or varies in a way that seems reasonable. If it said you were 36 one day and 3-months later after increasing exercising, reducing alcohol, and working on sleep it reported 46, I would question the accuracy. 

Do you have questions for Dr. Maggie? Let us know in the comments and you may get an answer in our next Dr. Maggie newsletter! Sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

 

The information found in this blog shall not be considered medical advice and is being provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your healthcare provider should you have any questions or concerns.