Aging Well from Day One

Biological age v chronological age. The actual, functional age of your body versus your birthdate. Yes, there is a versus here. These two ages are more often than not separated by years, sometime decades. One, the age you think you are because you were born in a certain year, is virtually meaningless to your health and well-being; the other, the real age of your body, determines vitality, energy and wellness. Chronological age happens to you; biological age you can control in important and life-altering ways. I’ve written about this here and here, and it is the empowering fact that underlies my book, Counterclockwise.

What I had read previously about this differential pace in aging was that it began around age 40, that the body up until then was pretty forgiving. After 40, the research said, was when the accumulated benefit – or harm – you were doing to your body started to show up in what are called “biomarkers.” Biomarkers are statistical measurements of real, functional age, like blood pressure, heart rate, bone density, lung capacity, etc. After age 40, and increasing at a faster pace onward, biomarkers reflected the good and bad decisions made about how we lived our lives.

Now comes the surprising news that this differential pace in aging begins at much much younger chronological age than we thought. In a fascinating and meticulously configured study of 1000 young people tracked form birth to age 38, a team of researchers (Duke, UCLA, Kings College, Hebrew University) discovered significant differences in biological aging in this youthful population. When the researchers measured 10 different biomarkers at the end of the study, they found that the biological age of this study group, all of whom were chronologically 38, ranged from (biological) age 28 to 61. Yes, you read that right. Some 38 year olds were functionally 28; others were nearing retirement.

The researchers then measured the pace of aging based on repeated assessments of a panel of 18 biomarkers and found that some members of the study group aged near zero percent during some chronological years, while others gained three biological years for each chronological year.

This is really important stuff, you guys. So listen up. This is not just more proof that what we do and don’t do in our lives has far more impact on our health than the mere passage of time (or our genetic inheritance). It is powerful evidence that the process of aging well begins the moment we are born.