2023-11-14 13:03:29
Your biological age is an indicator of your health, and it is more accurate than your chronological age in determining the efficiency of your organs and the strength of your muscles and bones. It can be reduced by following certain tips, and this makes you younger regardless of your chronological age.
First, we must know the difference between the terms chronological age and biological age.
Chronological age is the period of time from the moment a person is born. In contrast, biological age is the amount of aging of the body’s cells.
Usually, biological age and chronological age are identical, but in cases they may differ. For example, a person’s chronological age may be 30 years old, but he is a smoker and his lungs suffer from damage as a result of tobacco, and then his biological age is 50.
In contrast, a person’s chronological age may be 60 years old, but he takes care of his health and has strong muscles and bones, making his biological age 40.
We cannot change chronological age, but biological age can be changed so that we become younger by following healthy habits.
Recently, scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that people whose biological age is 5 years higher than their chronological age have a 40% greater risk of developing dementia or having a stroke, according to a report in The Independent.
“If you compare your body’s current performance with people your same age, is it doing better or worse? If it is worse, your biological age will be lower than your chronological age, and vice versa,” says Sarah Haag, associate professor of molecular epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet and co-author of the study. “A reduction in your biological age is good for your long-term health.”
How can one know biological age?
Dr. Richard Siu, director of aging research at King’s College London, says that currently a truly accurate reading is only available in research studies.
One way biological age can be measured is by using blood biomarkers, which are molecules that indicate normal or abnormal processes occurring in the body. These include blood fats, sugar, pressure, lung function, and body mass index.
If you have height, weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure measurements, they help you estimate your biological age. The more you weigh and the higher your blood pressure and blood cholesterol, this means that your biological age is older and that your body is aging faster.
Nour Markarem, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, says that the strongest predictor of biological aging is a high body mass index. The higher it is, the greater the biological age.
Nour co-authored new research presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023, which identified 8 basic lifestyle habits that, if adhered to over time, can reduce a person’s biological age by up to 6 years.
The following are tips to reduce your biological age:
1- Each is less than a quarter
Earlier this year, a first-of-its-kind study was published in the medical journal The Lancet, which looked at the effects of eating lower amounts on biological age.
The study was conducted over a period of two years, in which 200 people between the ages of 21 and 50 participated. The researchers found that those who ate approximately 25% less food than they usually eat reduced their biological age and improved their cardiovascular image.
If you are reducing your calories, choose foods that are nutrient-dense and low in calories.
It is recommended here to follow a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, unrefined starchy carbohydrates, and low in sugar, red meat, and processed foods.
2- Stop eating after eight in the evening
“If I could give you any advice to reduce your biological age it would be time-restricted feeding (intermittent fasting) when you reduce the number of hours you eat each day,” says Sarah Haag.
“It’s a way to reduce the time it takes your body to metabolize and digest,” Sarah adds. This keeps blood sugar stable, and healthy blood sugar is a sign of biological aging.
There are many different methods of time-restricted feeding, such as stopping at 8pm and starting again at 8am (12:12 model), stopping at 7pm and starting again at 9am (14:10), or Fasting for 16 hours.
3- Using dental floss at night
Inflammation is one of the pathways that leads to accelerated biological aging, especially in the mouth.
Inflammation is the immune system’s way of removing harmful substances, and when immune cells become overactive, more damage occurs. “Bacteria in the mouth, known as the oral microbiome, influence biological aging,” Siu says.
He added, “If your gums are bleeding, bacteria can pass through the blood vessels in your mouth and increase inflammation in the brain and lead to accelerated brain aging.”
One of the main signs of gum disease is bleeding gums, and many studies have linked gum disease to increased biological aging.
He says, “If you maintain oral hygiene and floss twice a day, this may have a positive effect on your biological age,” and if that is difficult, try using dental floss only at night.
A study published in the Journal of Aging Research found that 3 oral habits were associated with increased longevity: nightly brushing, nightly flossing, and regular visits to the dentist (2-3 times a year). Those who never flossed had increased 30% risk of death.
4- Walk faster for 10 minutes daily
Walking faster in daily life (more than 3-4 miles per hour) results in a lower biological age.
But don’t worry if you can’t walk fast all the time. Walking briskly for 10 minutes a day is linked to a longer life expectancy.
5- Eat a Mediterranean diet
A study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in September of this year found that adults who followed a diet rich in polyphenols for 18 months had a 9-month reduction in their biological age.
Polyphenols are nutrients found in plant foods, such as vegetables, berries, dark chocolate and green tea.
Here, the Mediterranean diet comes to the fore in terms of its content of polyphenols, as studies link it to a lower risk of heart and circulatory disease and associated risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol.
6- Treat depression
“Depression actually accelerates biological aging,” Seo says, and research conducted by King’s College London earlier this year found that people with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder were biologically older than their chronological age.
Depression leads to changes in sleep patterns, exercise, what we eat, and levels of exposure to sunlight, so we must recognize the early signs of depression and develop small lifestyle interventions to treat them, such as reducing the use of social media or not using your phone late at night, because this reduces The quality of your sleep, which may expose you to depression.
7- Reduce sitting
Research found that those who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week had a lower biological age.
However, any physical activity is beneficial, meaning that a little exercise is better than no exercise.
If you can’t go to the gym but walk around, bike or walk more this will reduce your biological age over time.
8- Stick to bedtime
Who doesn’t like to lie down on the weekend? The bad news is that if your holiday sleep-wake times differ by more than 30 minutes from your weekday sleep-wake times, you may be unintentionally increasing your biological age.
“Differences between week and weekend in sleep timing and duration have been linked to an increased risk of various diseases,” Nour says.
She stresses the importance of having a consistent sleep schedule. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time or within 30 minutes can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and reduce biological age.
“The recommendation is to sleep at least 7 hours, but not more than 9 hours because this can affect the risk of disease,” she says.
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