How Fast Am I Really Aging? I Took 3 At-Home Biological Age Tests to Find Out.
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Like many of you, especially those over 40, I envision myself as younger than my chronological age. Subjective age—how old you feel—is a thing, and people over 40 on average feel 20 percent younger. That head game is in the crosshairs of new technology that targets patterns in DNA methylation. These chemical tags on your DNA code serve as dimmer switches to shift your genes up or down and reveal your biological age.
Unlike chronological age, which progresses at the same pace, one candle per year for all of us, biological age, which is the overall health of your organs and cells, is individualized and “fluid, fluctuating, and malleable,” according to researchers at Duke. A recent study of theirs found that stress, whether physical or mental, can speed up your biological clock, along with factors like diet, exercise, and sleep, explains James White, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Duke University School of Medicine and a coauthor of the study. “Biological age is more dynamic than we thought, and our research is examining exactly how it can be slowed or reversed.”
Longevity researchers at various universities have created their own epigenetic aging clocks over the past five years that assess methylation to determine biological age, and this technology is trickling down to consumer tests. The best-known test is TruDiagnostic, which uses an epigenetic clock called DunedinPACE, developed by researchers at Columbia and Duke. That’s how billionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson, 45, is tracking his biological age, with the goal to have the body of an 18-year-old. Johnson cocreated the Rejuvenation Olympics, a website on which you can post your biological age. He’s at the top of its leaderboard with a biological age about six years younger than his chronological age. Harvard antiaging star David Sinclair, Ph.D., cofounded Tally Health, whose test uses a proprietary algorithm and requires a swab from inside your cheek rather than a blood draw. TruDiagnostic, Tally, and other tests not only provide your biological age but also offer action plans to lower it.
Although the science is young—my age varied by 13 years in the three tests I took—doctors believe there are benefits to knowing your biological age. “It can help health-care providers make more-informed decisions about treatment than relying on chronological age,” says Nir Barzilai, M.D., director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Think age-based screenings—say, for cancers or heart disease. Awareness of your biological age can also be a motivating factor in making smarter lifestyle choices.
While the tests can help identify where you may be at risk, the action plans that the services provide seemed a little cookie-cutter. “I’m not seeing strong evidence that the information they’re giving is tailored to the individual,” says MH advisor Keith Roach, M.D., an internist at NewYork-Presbyterian hospital. “Plus, some of the information is clinical medical advice—stuff you should really talk through with your doctor.”
Many doctors believe we’re entering the age of epigenetic medicine, and biological age could soon become part of our health vernacular and annual physical. (The services suggest you retest more often—every three to six months.) With some trepidation, I blew out the candles on chronological age, and here’s what I learned.
How The Tests Compare
The 50-year-old author tried three new consumer tests to determine whether his biological age was the same as his chronological age.
Tally Health
WHAT: DNA from a DIY cheek swab is analyzed for methylation markers using an age-prediction model built with a data set of 8,000 people to determine your Tally age. The result is compared with answers from a survey on diet, exercise, sleep, and mental health, then used to suggest age-lowering changes.
COST: $229 per test; from $129 per month for subscription and supplements
AGE: 59.8
RX: The “moderate” plan could slash eight-plus years off my age.
FOOD: Make diet at least 75 percent plant based.
EXERCISE: Do 300 minutes of cardio each week.
ALCOHOL: Limit weekly intake to seven drinks.
MIND: Volunteer and foster positive emotions like gratitude and awe.
SLEEP: Go from “fair” to “excellent.”
SUPPLEMENTS: Take Tally’s cocktail (fisetin, calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, trans-resveratrol, quercetin, and spermidine).
NOTES: This result scared me! The Rx may seem glib, but Tally’s website has actionable tips, plus lots of tabs to “Learn More.” Tally said it’s seen people with 30-year age differentials (older and younger), so I’m optimistic I can lower my age and I want to retest in three months—that business plan is working!
SECOND OPINION: Solid diet, exercise, and alcohol advice, says Dr. Roach. “The emphasis on mental health and sleep is great, but achieving gains is tough with a therapist, let alone solo. The supplement advice bothers me, because I’m not aware of good evidence that this cocktail will lead to better health outcomes.”
TruDiagnostic
WHAT: From a DIY blood draw (about ten drops), DNA is analyzed for methyl-ation markers and the results are fed into an algorithm that uses the DunedinPACE aging clock to calculate your epigenetic age. Your answers from a survey on your diet, exercise, sleep, and mental health inform tactics to slow aging.
COST: $499 per TruAge Complete test
AGE: 50.7
RX: I received a 73-page results doc and treatment plan.
FOOD: Try the Mediterranean diet or a calorie-restricting or fasting plan; increase consumption of poultry, fish, and produce.
EXERCISE: Work out four times per week, doing both strength and cardio at varying intensity.
ALCOHOL: No more than one drink per week.
MEDS: Ask your doctor about drugs shown to slow aging, like metformin and rapamycin.
NOTES: My age was identical to my chronological age! I also got a Dunedin-PACE score of 0.94, which indicates I’m aging more slowly than the average rate, which is 1.0. The treatment plans are not detailed, but you’re expected to work with health, nutrition, and fitness professionals.
SECOND OPINION: “The exercise and nutrition advice is basic good info,” says Dr. Roach. “I’m wary of calorie restriction and fasting without guidance from your doctor, because you can develop eating disorders. The data on metformin and rapamycin are speculative in humans. If you want to try those meds, get in a study.”
InsideTracker
WHAT: Blood, drawn at home or in a lab, is analyzed for up to 48 biomarkers, among them lipids, inflammation, and hormones. This info is fed into an algorithm that interprets the results to recommend lifestyle changes, taking into account your questionnaire answers on diet, sleep, and exercise habits.
COST: From $310; Up to $700 for the Ultimate Test
AGE: 46.8
RX:
FOOD: Swap meat for plant-based protein once a week and increase vegetable, nut, fruit, and fiber intake to target borderline-high LDL and high ApoB levels.
EXERCISE: Add 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week to supplement three strength sessions.
SUPPLEMENTS: Take 5,000 IU of vitamin D to boost low vitamin D levels and improve triglyceride and LDL levels; spend 20 minutes per day in sunshine.
NOTES: My best score! The data is similar to what you get in a physical, but the website and app are deep with good tactics. My digital dashboard revealed five at-risk areas, five that need improvement, and 39 that are optimized. Each category has video explainers, blog-style stories by experts, and links to studies. The result that my ApoB level was high was news to me and not part of my regular physical. A growing body of evidence reveals that ApoB is predictive of cardiovascular disease and that lead me to talk to my doctor about treatment with dietary changes and potentially a statin.
SECOND OPINION: “I tell patients not to worry about dietary cholesterol,” says Dr. Roach. “The American Heart Association’s risk calculator gives better insight. Vitamin D supplementation is controversial, and a new Harvard study revealed that taking it does not reduce your risk of any disease. Talk to a doctor before taking it.”
This story appears in the September 2023 issue of Men's Health.
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