Science Weekly How old are we really? What a test can tell us about our biological age
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May 6, 2025 Brian H Chen, an epidemiologist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, dives into the fascinating world of biological age vs. chronological age. He explains epigenetic clocks and their ability to measure our biological age based on DNA methylation patterns. The discussion covers the accuracy of these tests, potential lifestyle changes to lower biological age, and their intriguing applications in forensic science and clinical trials. Chen emphasizes that while these tests are popular, a healthy lifestyle remains key to aging well.
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Epigenetic Clocks Explained
- Epigenetic clocks measure chemical tags like DNA methylation that regulate gene expression without changing DNA sequence.
- These clocks track biological age by detecting patterns in these chemical marks that shift incrementally with age.
Accidental Discovery of Epigenetic Clocks
- The discovery of epigenetic clocks was accidental, arising from studies on twins and the epigenome.
- Researchers noticed strong age signals in data from unrelated studies and built clocks to measure biological age.
Biological Age vs Chronological Age
- Biological age assessed by epigenetic clocks reflects cellular aging speed compared to chronological age.
- Significant deviations in biological agemay reveal faster or slower aging processes in individuals.