Biological age determines your health and lifespan
Are you noticing signs of aging? No doubt, you are. We all do.
People in their 30s and older commonly feel tempted to undergo procedures or receive chemical injections when they spot hints of aging in the mirror. Experts in anti-aging medicine say there are more natural ways to reverse both visible and invisible signs of aging that you can start working on today.
The key lies in adopting healthy habits that slow down the biological or cellular aging process.
Dusan Sajic, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant adjunct professor of clinical medicine at Ontario's McMaster University in Canada, offered an analogy explaining how biological age determines our lifespan.
"Biological aging refers to wear and tear on the body," he said. "Think of it like a car: If you store your car in the garage and maintain it to be car show-ready, it's going to wear and tear a lot slower than a car that is neglected and whose engine is revved at every opportunity. Physiological and physical changes in the body can put additional stress on the cellular machinery and make us age faster. This can be influenced by genetics, environment, lifestyle choices and disease."
You may know what age is listed on your driver's license, but you probably don't know your biological age. Comite said it can be determined at a medical office using blood or saliva testing.
"Specialized medical professionals can detect current disease and predict future diseases of aging effectively and earlier so that you can reverse conditions before they progress to life-threatening stages," she said. "One way to measure biological age is by taking a sample of your cells and looking at specific sites along the genes that control DNA methylation. Methylation changes in our DNA correlate with our biological age."
How to slow down your biological aging process
Comite and Sajic both said practices such as eating processed and sugary foods, getting inadequate sleep, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to rapid biological aging. They recommended techniques proven to slow biological aging and increase health span, which Sajic defined as the portion of your life spent in good overall and sexual health.
