Phenoage: Biological age or chronological age: your true state of health

It was upon returning from our stay in Los Angeles, where we met inspiring leaders in natural health and nutrition, that we felt the desire to start this small series of articles dedicated to the biological age of your cells and tissues, age that you can of course adjust.

Have you ever noticed that some 50-year-olds look like they're 35, while others seem much older than their actual age ? This observation is not the result of chance: it reflects a fundamental scientific reality. Your chronological age – the one on your identity card – tells only part of your story. Your biological age, calculated using scientific methods different from the Gregorian calendar, reveals the actual state of your body and can significantly differ from your calendar age.

What is biological age ?

Biological age, also known as phenotypic age, measures the rate at which your body is actually aging. Unlike chronological age, which progresses linearly and identically for everyone, biological age varies considerably from one person to another. Many factors are at play: genetic factors, lifestyle, diet, stress level, , Quality of sleep, , physical activity, and exposure to environmental toxins.

A person who is chronologically 45 years old can have a biological age of 35 if they maintain a particularly healthy lifestyle, or conversely, 55 if they accumulate factors of accelerated aging. This difference is not anecdotal: it directly influences your life expectancy, your risk of developing chronic diseases, and your long-term healthy quality of life.

The mechanisms of biological aging

The biological aging process generally begins around the age of 27 with a standard Western diet. Several cellular mechanisms then come into play:

Cellular oxidation caused by free radicals gradually damages our cells. A diet rich in natural antioxidants can significantly slow down this process.

Glycation results from the damage caused by excess sugar to cells and blood vessels. This is why maintaining stable and low blood sugar levels is a major factor in longevity.

Silent inflammation or "inflammaging" accelerates aging. Centenarians exhibit particularly low levels of inflammation at 65, 70, and 80 years old.

The shortening of telomeres – these "protective caps" of our chromosomes – reflect the biological age of our cells. The longer they are, the better our cells can divide healthily.

Autophagy, This process of "cellular cleaning" weakens with age but can be stimulated by certain nutrients and also by appropriate fasting periods.

The PhenoAge Revolution: A Multi-University Scientific Breakthrough with Simple Tests

The history of PhenoAge ,an innovative tool offered by science and based on a specific algorithm, begins with a scientific revolution initiated by Steve Horvath, professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and biostatistics at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. It is a real improvement on Horvath's clock, which was the first historical model in this field, the first epigenetic test. In 2013, Horvath Indeed, it develops the first multi-tissue "epigenetic clock," capable of measuring the age of various human tissues through the analysis of DNA methylation. This groundbreaking discovery even reveals that certain parts of the anatomy, such as female breast tissue, age faster than the rest of the body.

But it was in 2018 that a new decisive step was taken. Dr. Morgan Levine, then a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Steve Horvath at UCLA, under his mentorship, develops the DNAm PhenoAge Clock, which provides an overview of a person's overall health. This collaboration between UCLA and Yale (where Levine continues his career today) resulted in a groundbreaking publication in the journal "Aging" in April 2018, establishing a new standard in the assessment of biological age.

This revolutionary approach significantly improves the 2013 pan-tissue clock by incorporating biologically relevant phenotypic biomarkers into the mix, in addition to chronological age. The major innovation? These markers can be influenced by diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors, potentially affecting the aging process.

The PhenoAge calculator represents the culmination of research conducted at several leading American universities - UCLA, University of Washington, Yale, and now Altos Labs (where Dr. Levine holds the position of Principal Investigator in this biotechnology company funded by Jeff BezosThis convergence of expertise between elite institutions demonstrates the scientific importance of this advancement. It is part of the most reliable tracking technologies for our health.

The 9 revealing blood markers

The PhenoAge test was developed from 12,000 adults aged 20 to 84. It is based on nine blood parameters that can be easily measured during a standard blood test, which you can request from your general practitioner as part of a preventive checkup. Feel free to mention to them that you are using PhenoAge calculator developed by a group of American researchers to establish an initial assessment of your biological age.
Here are the blood test markers/indicators that should be requested:

1. Albumin : reflection of your nutritional status and liver function
2. Creatinine : kidney function indicator
3. Glucose : marker of carbohydrate metabolism
4. C-reactive protein : witness of the inflammation
5. The percentage of lymphocytes : mirror of your immunity
6. Red blood cell distribution width : reflection of blood quality
7. Alkaline phosphatase : indicator of liver and bone function
8. The number of white blood cells : immune marker
9. Platelet distribution width : coagulation indicator

These nine parameters, analyzed in conjunction with your chronological age, allow for the calculation of your phenotypic age with remarkable precision.

In practice, how do you use the PhenoAge calculator ?

The process is surprisingly simple:

1. Make an appointment with your general practitioner., inform them that you wish to have a complete blood test.
2. Confirm with him that the 9 necessary markers are part of your request and the order he will establish for your blood tests at the laboratory. List to print here, with reference to the source medical study. If your doctor questions you, tell them that you wish to conduct a health prevention self-assessment using PhenoAge, developed in 2018 by a multidisciplinary team of American researchers. You might pique their curiosity! PhenoAge is extensively documented on the internet.
3. Retrieve your blood test results from the laboratory to enter them into the Excel file, learn about your biological age, and it's also an opportunity to schedule an appointment for your blood test analysis with your doctor.

Open The PhénoAge Excel file and enter your biomarker values plus your chronological age in the spreadsheet in the row marked "Input". Once all the data is entered, The spreadsheet provides you with a value for your biological age in the orange area marked Biological Age. (DNAm PhenoAge).

If your biological age is lower than your chronological age, congratulations, keep doing what you're doing, your lifestyle habits are healthy, well done! If your age is higher, then corrective actions can be considered in the coming months, and you can retake a test in 6, 9, or 12 months to confirm that you are on the right track and if your biological clock has slowed down, or even reversed.

This simplicity, resulting from many years of research, conceals real scientific sophistication. Research shows that a one-year increase in DNAm PhenoAge is associated with a 4.5% increase in mortality risk, demonstrating the predictive power of this innovative tool.An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan (Levine et al., 2018).

The impact on your life expectancy

The implications of knowing your biological age go beyond mere curiosity. According to the same study, by choosing quality foods and adopting an optimal lifestyle, you can potentially gain up to 15 years of life expectancy and up to 20 years of healthy living.Healthy life expectancy.

This perspective completely transforms our approach to health: Rather than passively undergoing aging, we can take concrete actions to slow it down, or even reverse it at the cellular level. Of course, a dietary approach is essential, but physical exercise, as we have discussed in various articles on this blog, is also fundamental, as is psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. In short, different rejuvenation therapies can help reduce biological age, while chronological age can only move forward.

Beyond Genes: Epigenetics

Contrary to what was once thought, our genes do not determine our destiny. In a beehive, no queen is born a queen; all bees share the same identical genetic heritage and are all born to become workers. But only one bee will become a queen, solely because it is fed differently from its peers. Epigenetics – the study of gene expression modulated by the environment – reveals that our daily choices directly influence the activity of our "longevity genes."

These genes, including sirtuins, mTOR, AMPK, FOXO3, and NrF2, respond positively to a slight caloric restriction, optimally low blood sugar, moderate protein consumption, and fasting periods of at least 13 hours.

The short-term benefits of anti-aging nutrition

The goal of longevity takes time to manifest. However, you can feel positive effects from the very first days or weeks. These effects include: disappearance of cravings, more restorative sleep, better digestion, a flatter stomach, increased mental clarity, and improvement in blood metabolic parameters. You will find numerous tips on our blog to help lower your biological age.

Tracking and Motivation: Measuring to Progress

Why are we offering you this tool on Biovie ? Because it is a tool for taking responsibility for your health, without external intervention (except, of course, for a check-up appointment with your doctor and a blood test at the laboratory). One of the major advantages of the PhenoAge calculator resides in its ability to allow you to track your personal progress without any possible interpretation, and in a scientific manner. By repeating the analysis every six months or once a year, you can objectively measure the impact of your lifestyle changes on your biological aging.

This approach transforms health prevention through empowerment: rather than blindly following generic or even useless recommendations, you have a personalized tool to assess the effectiveness of your actions. If necessary, you can adjust your choices.

The environment and aging

Our modern era exposes us to unprecedented factors of accelerated aging: chronic stress, air pollution, endocrine disruptors, ultra-processed foods, sedentary lifestyle, sleep deprivation, and information overload.

The PhenoAge calculator allows you to objectively assess how your body withstands these aggressions and whether your protection strategies are effective.

The importance of the microbiome

Recent research reveals that the composition of your gut microbiome directly influences your longevity. A healthy and diverse microbiome is built by choosing high-quality organic plant-based foods that are as unprocessed and raw as possible.

Towards personalized preventive medicine

The PhenoAge calculator is part of the emergence of personalized preventive medicine. Rather than waiting for symptoms to appear, you can act proactively to maintain an optimal biological age.

This revolutionary approach place the responsibility for your health in your hands, while providing you with the scientific tools necessary to make informed decisions.

Conclusion: Take control of your aging

Knowing your biological age is much more than just a scientific curiosity: it is a powerful tool for personal transformation. By revealing the true state of your body, PhenoAge calculator allows you to objectively assess the impact of your life choices.

The question is no longer whether you can influence your aging, but rather how to optimize this influence. Your chronological age will continue to increase inexorably, but your biological age can stagnate, slow down, or even reverse depending on your actions.

In our next article, we will concretely explore how some nutritional approaches Scientifically validated methods can help you optimize these valuable markers and take control of your biological destiny. Because ultimately, the real question is not how many years you will add to your life, but how much life you will add to your years.

Are you ready to discover your true biological age and take action to optimize it ?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between biological age and chronological age ?

Chronological age corresponds to the years that have passed since your birth, while biological age measures the actual state of aging of your body. A person who is chronologically 50 years old can have a biological age of 40 years due to a healthy lifestyle, or 60 years in the case of accelerated aging factors.

How to calculate your biological age with PhenoAge ?

To calculate your biological age with PhenoAge, you need to have a blood test. This blood test analyzes 9 biomarkers: albumin, creatinine, glucose, C-reactive protein, percentage of lymphocytes, red blood cell distribution width, alkaline phosphatase, white blood cell count, and platelet distribution width. These values are then entered into the PhenoAge Excel calculator.

Is it really possible to biologically rejuvenate ?

Yes, it is scientifically proven that one can slow down, stabilize, or even reverse their biological age at the cellular level. By adopting anti-aging nutrition, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and managing stress, you can potentially gain up to 15 years of life expectancy and 20 years of healthy life expectancy.

How often should one measure their biological age ?

It is recommended to measure your biological age every 6 months to 1 year to assess the effectiveness of your lifestyle changes. This frequency allows you to track your progress without being affected by temporary fluctuations in blood biomarkers.

What factors most influence biological age ?

Different factors influencing biological age: the quality of diet, regular physical activity, quality of sleep, stress management, avoidance of toxins (tobacco, alcohol, pollution), and maintaining a healthy weight. Chronic inflammation and high blood sugar particularly accelerate biological aging.