Grey hair, fine lines on the face, papery skin, the number of candles on a birthday cake – that’s what most people associate ageing with; a number, indicating the passage of time since your birth. Is it really that simple, though?
In fact, it isn’t. We now recognize ageing to be of different types – namely, chronological and biological.
Chronological age:
The amount of time that has passed from your birth till date. Easy to determine, one you don’t have to think twice about.
Biological age:
This refers to how old your body tissues and cells are, based on physiological evidence. It depends on various factors, and is more accurate in predicting morbidity and mortality.
Factors affecting
Chronological age:
Time – It is simply the number of years passing since your birth. Not affected by your environment or your lifestyle.
Biological age:
Genetics
There are certain genes which determine age related traits, variations in these could affect you positively or negatively.
Biomarkers
Certain biomarkers are associated with faster ageing, like fasting glucose, cortisol, LDH, CRP.
Diet
A healthy diet lowers the biological age. The difference is more apparent in cases of chronic illnesses, obesity, and history of family disease.
Studies also found that females were more particular about diets, than men.
Exercise
Studies found that people leading an active lifestyle, exercising in some manner, had a lower biological age.
Smoking
Smoking has long been associated with increased morbidity and mortality; it is also known to increase the biological age. Fortunately, the changes are reversible, as found by studies conducted on former smokers, current smokers and nonsmokers. While the current smokers showed an increased biological age, there wasn’t much difference between the nonsmokers and people who had given up smoking.
Sleeping habits
Insomnia, reduced sleep, odd sleeping hours, all take a toll on our health, and increase bio age too. Whether it is the quality of sleep, or quantity, it will affect the biological age negatively. Correcting your sleeping habits can, however, reverse the process.
Stress
Stress, for obvious reasons, can cause biological age to increase. The effect, however, seems to be reversible.
A study observed an increase in the biological age, when the body was exposed to stress due to infections, Covid, trauma. Though the bio age increased drastically when the body was under stress; however, once the stressful circumstances were removed, it reverted to the previous number.
Environmental factors
Where you live, work, the air around you, the pollution, all exposes you to toxic elements which affect biological age, increasing it. Unfortunately, not all of them can be removed from your life; however, you can counter it by taking a few protective steps.
Determining your age
Determining bio age requires study of two things:
- Telomeres (part of chromosomes)
Chromosomes are the building blocks of DNA, present on each strand. At the end of each chromosome is a structure called telomere, which reduces in length as the biological age increases. Measuring the telomere can give an indication of your biological age.
2. DNA methylation (how your DNA is ageing)
Our body’s DNA is made of genes, and at any given point of time, there are some genes which are expressed, while others are dormant. The process of expressing genes, and making others dormant, is called methylation.
Ageing causes a lot of changes in the methylation process. Studies have used this to make fairly accurate age predictors, called epigenetic clock.
Supporting a healthy bio age
Exercise
Exercise is, of course, very good for the body. It can also help lowering the bio age.
Weight training, especially, is recommended by experts, as it helps build muscles, reduces free radicals and increases blood flow – all of this aids in reducing the biological age.
Cardio exercises, like CrossFit, help in reducing weight as well as strengthening heart and lung muscles.
Exercises like cycling and swimming keep you supple; researchers also found that these people had higher levels of T cells, responsible for good immunity.
Move Around
It has been found that a sedentary lifestyle and a job that has you sitting at the desk for seven hours or more, can increase your biological age by almost 8 years.
So move around, take an hourly break, a short walk. Practice stretches, not only do they help relax you mentally, they’re good for a supple and young body.
Do not overdo it.
Pushing yourself daily into a strenuous routine can be detrimental; instead, try to exercise moderately, 45 minutes, 5 days a week or so… exercising in moderation can reduce your biological age by 9 years. Try combining various forms of exercise…CrossFit, cardio, cycling, etc.
Take your beauty sleep
An adult requires close to 8 hours of sleep daily, to have a fresh mind and healthy body. Anything less than that can prove harmful.
Studies have found that decreased sleep can leave you vulnerable to chronic diseases like diabetes, and can increase biological age, especially that of the heart, by five years.
Avoid Stress
Stress has been known to increase your biological age exponentially. Studies show that stress redoes the length of telomeres, as well as increases free radicals in the body.
Try to avoid stressful situations, whether at home or work. Try meditation and yoga to help you manage stress. Approach a physician, if you feel you require medical attention.
Maintain a healthy weight
Overweight people tend to be vulnerable to chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension etc., which take a toll on the biological age.
Underweight people, too, can have low immunity, leaving them susceptible to infections.
Try maintaining a weight suited to your height and age.
Maintain your body shape
Your body shape can determine your health- the manner in which the body distributes weight makes a difference
- Apple shaped body – the fat is concentrated on the waist and abdomen. This shape is unhealthy and can increase cardiac diseases.
- Pear shaped body – The fat is distributed to the hips and thighs. This is a healthier body shape to maintain.
Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy diet does wonders for your body, keeping you young, with good immunity and the strength to fight diseases. A combination of proteins, carbs, fats, minerals and vitamins is a must. A few more pointers:
- Include foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, such as oily fish, nuts, and seeds and avocado. These fatty acids are known to fight free radicals. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and help maintain biological age.
- Try adopting the Mediterranean diet; it’s by far one of the techiest diets for with loss .Studies show that the Mediterranean diet, if followed correctly, can reduce biological age by about 15 %.
- Ginger and turmeric are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and should be a part of your diet.
- Probiotics help in maintaining your gut flora, which is very essential for good health. Have a healthy helping of curds daily, to help this flora flourish.
- Antioxidants counter the effects of oxidation in the body, keeping it young and, in turn, maintaining the biological age. Most green vegetables are rich in antioxidants, and should form a part of your daily meals.
- It has been noted that certain nutrients like Vit B12, B6, and folate are fundamental in keeping the methylation process normal. It is suggested that including foods rich in these nutrients could help reduce or maintain biological age.
- Choose foods with a low glycemic index. Not only are they easier to digest, they also strengthen the bones and tissues of the body. Include fruits, low fat dairy products in your meals. Equally, try to avoid fast food and processed foods, as they unnecessarily increase your blood sugar levels.
At the end of the day, everyone ages. It is up to us to take steps to see that our biological age is lesser than our chronological one, so we can all lead a healthy life.
