Humans have always been fascinated with the legend of the fountain of youth, and how we can turn back the hands of time, or even achieve immortality, and most people probably think it’s nothing but fiction. However, for a few decades now, we’ve known there are ways to measure our biological age, and from these tests we now know it’s possible to slow ageing, and even reverse our biological age.
We all know our chronological age is simply the number of days we’ve been alive since our birth. Our biological age is a measure of how “old” our physiology is, and determines if we’re ageing faster or slower than our chronological age.
Over the years, tests have measured this using telomere length, and a number of biological clocks (markers of ageing), but today’s technology is able to do it even more accurately, with technology that directly measures our gene methylation, or, which genes have been turned on, and which are turned off. Turn on the right genes and we age slower and better, turn on other genes and we age faster, and increase our risk of chronic age-related disease.
One such test to help us understand not only biological age but what genes are being expressed, is the TruAge test.
Why we use TruAge in clinic
Here at Melbourne Functional Medicine, we use the TruAge biological age test by TruDiagnostics because this test uses the most up-to-date technology, measuring over 1 million gene locations on a person’s DNA to determine the methylation state (what genes are turned on or off) and calculate a person’s biological age. This data is combined with several biological clocks to provide a complete and detailed overview of factors influencing a person’s pace of ageing, and therefore their biological age.
The test provides a wealth of information that our practitioners will interpret to help you discover not only your biological age and pace of ageing, but also how your diet and lifestyle will be impacting these factors.
What does TruAge tell you?
Your TruAge results are a compilation of several different reports that look at your gene methylation and different factors influencing your biological age. This data is then used to determine your biological age and pace of ageing. The data points included are:
Intrinsic age
This is the basis of biological ageing. It measures the gene methylation (turning on or off of genes) that results from the internal processes of a person’s own body, excluding external factors that might influence biological age. Intrinsic age is considered the ‘purest’ measure of epigenetic ageing and how much the normal ageing process of mammals is affecting biological age.
Extrinsic age
Extrinsic age measures biological ageing in relation to external or environmental factors that alter gene methylation, and in turn, alter the pace of ageing and the biological age. Extrinsic age uses biomarkers within the immune system which alter in accordance with external and environmental stressors such as pollution, toxins, sunlight, infections and many other factors. The more of these external stressors your body is exposed to, the faster a person’s rate of ageing.
OMICm Age
OMICm Age refers to a complex group of proteins, cells, biochemicals, and metabolites – known as Epigenetic Biomarker Proxies – that evaluate the multiome including; genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics. Biodata from each omics profile is used to determine the influence of complex physiological processes on biological age such as gene transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolism. The “age” of each profile is then used in the algorithm to determine biological age.
Pace of ageing
Pace of ageing is a measure of how fast or slow you’re physiologically ageing compared to your chronological age. A pace of ageing above 1.0 indicates a faster pace of age, and a result below 1.0 indicates a slower pace of ageing.
TruAge uses the DunedinPACE, the most reliable algorithm based on large cohort studies over decades, to measure pace of ageing between 0.6 – 1.4, representing the influence of short-term factors on long-term health and longevity. As such, the pace of ageing is also the marker that can change in just a few weeks with effective health optimisation strategies.
Telomere length
Measuring telomeres, or the end caps on your DNA, is an older generation biological clock that shows over your lifespan if you’ve been ageing faster (shorter telomeres) or slower (longer telomeres).
Originally this was used as a way of estimating the lifespan of a person, and whilst still relevant, using it this way is subject to a lot of variables. However, new research has shown that specific molecules from targeted supplements and food choices can repair and even lengthen telomeres, and so telomere length is a good way to determine how effective health optimisation strategies are on biological ageing.
Mitotic clocks
Mitotic clocks are a measure of the number of stem cell divisions, or mitotic divisions that are occurring in the cells. Cell division and replication is a constant process that enables the body to grow and repair itself. As people age, stem cell divisions tend to slow down, and so does cell division, resulting in an increase of senescent cells, one of the key hallmarks of ageing.
Measuring stem cell divisions enables us to determine the rate the body is able to produce new cells to replace older cells.
Practitioners are able to use the data in the TruAge results to help develop personalised strategies to slow the pace of ageing, improve physiological functioning, slow telomere shortening and possibly even extend telomeres, and address cellular senescence.
Evidence shows that in as little as 6 weeks you can see a reduction in pace of ageing, and in only a few months, a reduction in biological age and telomere attrition.
If you’re interested in knowing your biological age, visit our biological age testing page to learn more about the TruAge test and how you can work with our practitioners to help you understand the results.
