Which is more important - 'biological age' or 'chronological age'?

An old saying would have us believe that “age is just a number.” But in the context of our organs, aging is not a uniform process. Because of this, doctors often use the term “biological age,” which has quickly become the hottest new health and wellness buzzword.

It turns out, your heart might be older than your chronological age, while your brain could be equivalent to that of someone who is much younger.

“Biological age” — what does that mean?

You’d imagine that, as we age, our body follows suit as a whole. But recent research suggests that it’s not so simple. What’s happening under the skin is much more complex.

When people refer to “biological age” they’re talking about how your body is really aging, which might be different from the number of years you’ve been alive.

While chronological age counts the actual time since you were born, biological age looks at factors like how well your organs are functioning, your muscle strength, and even things like your skin elasticity.

It’s influenced by your lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress levels, as well as your genetics.

How biological age correlates to health

For example, two people who are both 50 years old chronologically might have very different biological ages depending on how they’ve taken care of their bodies over the years.

Comparing biological age to chronological age gives a more personalized picture of your overall health and aging process.

If your biological age is lower than your chronological age, it usually means you’re leading a healthy lifestyle and your body is functioning better than average for your age.

On the flip side, a higher biological age might indicate that you need to make some changes to improve your health and slow down the aging process.

Measuring the age of organs

As mentioned, biological age refers to how well a specific organ is functioning. This “functional age” can be dramatically different across all parts of your body.

It’s possible for different organs can have different biological or functional ages.

For instance, if a person is a smoker but does not drink alcohol, you can assume that the functional and biological age of that person’s lungs is much lower than the biological age of their liver.

So, how do scientists figure out the biological age of your organs? They’ve developed sophisticated tools known as “aging clocks.”

These clocks analyze the levels of protein markers in your blood samples. The protein markers are the tattletales of your organs, and reveal the secrets of their functional age.

By studying these markers, the researchers can figure out if you’re a “heart ager” or a “brain ager.”

Impact of premature aging

Is your heart punching above its weight, age-wise? If so, this could increase your risk of heart failure by a staggering 250 percent.

And what about the brain? If it’s aging faster than it should, Alzheimer’s disease may become a realistic concern.

These are just a few examples of the profound consequences of premature aging in particular organs.

On the flip side, a youthful brain might potentially mean less risk of dementia, and a longer life.

Why is biological age important?

It turns out that the aging process in our organs is interconnected. If one organ begins to age prematurely, it might send a biochemical postcard that accelerates the aging process in others.

This chain reaction underscores the importance of keeping our organs healthy and “young” for as long as we can.

The findings of these studies offer a glimmer of hope. If we can figure out which organs are aging faster in our bodies, we could potentially slow down the whole process.

Scientists could tailor medical treatments or suggest lifestyle changes specifically suited to support our older organs. The dream is to manage aging, organ by organ.

Aging and personalized medicine

Advancements in personalized medicine are paving the way for innovative approaches to tackling organ-specific aging.

By leveraging the insights from aging clocks and biomarkers, researchers can design targeted interventions that address the unique needs of each organ.

For instance, a heart exhibiting advanced biological aging may benefit from treatments aimed at reducing arterial stiffness or improving cardiac tissue regeneration.

Meanwhile, therapies focusing on neuroprotection could support a prematurely aging brain.

Such precision not only marks a major leap in age management but also allows for preventive measures that are tailored to the individual and reduce the risk of debilitating conditions before they arise.

This personalized approach holds immense promise for fostering healthier and more vibrant aging.

How to stay young

While breakthroughs in medical science are exhilarating, the importance of lifestyle choices cannot be overstated.

Diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management play pivotal roles in the biological aging of our organs. Antioxidant-rich foods, for example, combat oxidative stress, which is a major contributor to aging at the cellular level.

Regular physical activity enhances cardiovascular health and encourages neurogenesis, supporting both heart and brain longevity.

Additionally, quality sleep aids cellular repair, while effective stress management reduces the production of harmful hormones that can accelerate aging.

Simply put, the choices we make every day act as powerful tools in influencing the age of our internal organs. Small improvements in habits can lead to profound results over time.

What we learned

To sum it all up, aging isn’t the same for every part of your body, even if you’re the same age as someone else. While your heart might show signs of being older, your brain could be functioning like it’s much younger.

This difference is what scientists call “biological age,” which looks at how well your organs are doing based on things like muscle strength, skin elasticity, and overall organ function.

Unlike your chronological age, which is just the number of years you’ve lived, your biological age can vary depending on your lifestyle choices, such as your diet, exercise habits, sleep quality, and stress levels, as well as your genetics.

So, two people who are both 50 years old might have very different biological ages if one leads a healthier lifestyle than the other.

Our understanding and perception of aging needs to shift from a broad stroke approach to a more finely focused one.

By concentrating on the distinct aging patterns of our organs, we just might be able to crack the code and halt or even reverse the aging process.

The study is published in BioRxiv by Stanford University researchers.

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