This week: We’re introducing a special project on longevity, How to thrive as you age.For the rest of the year, NPR’s Allison Aubrey will be exploring the new science of healthy aging, sharing advice from experts and secrets from our readers. She joins this newsletter as a guest writer this week with a story on biological age tests.
There’s a lot of buzz about the idea that your chronological age doesn’t necessarily match your biological age. And now you can order up a test to get an estimate of how quickly or slowly you’re aging.
I recently took one of these tests myself, one called GrimAge that's used by many longevity researchers to study aging.
I asked a range of experts. One thing they cautioned: If you take one of these tests, be prepared to be nervous about the results. That’s for sure. After I sent in my sample, I had dream that my biological age was 90!
Here’s what I learned about these tests:
How they work
GrimAge and other epigenetic clock tests are based on a process called DNA methylation. As we get older, chemical tags called methyl groups latch onto our DNA. The pattern of these tags gives researchers an indicator of biological age.
"You can use methylation to measure time in all cells that contain DNA," explains Steve Horvath, the scientist who pioneered the aging clock and developed the GrimAge test (which is named after the Grim Reaper!)
As we age there are millions of changes to our DNA. "Some of these changes protect us," he says, but others can cause trouble.
"We spent over ten years trying to understand what factors accelerate your epigenetic clock," Horvath says. They found that smoking, unhealthy eating, a sedentary lifestyle and "pretty much any lifestyle factor that is bad for you" accelerates the clock.
Conversely, they found a diet rich in micronutrients from fruits and vegetables, having a healthy body weight and regular exercise all help slow methylation.
Accuracy of the tests and what to make of the results
Horvath says he developed the clock as a way for scientists to study aging, not necessarily for consumers to fret over their own DNA age.
But online testing companies had a different idea. There are now several different brands of direct-to-consumer biological age tests — where you mail off your sample — and get results sent directly back to you.
If you take one of these tests, you'll get back a number, an estimate of your biological age. You probably shouldn't put too much stock in it, researchers say. No test can tell you exactly how long you'll live, of course. What the test can do is estimate how fast or slow you're aging compared to your peers.
Let's say you're 50 and you get back an age of 45 – that means you're aging slower than the average 50 year old. Your rate of aging is more like that of a 45-year-old.
This score could be useful when combined with other measurements, says Dr. Doug Vaughan, the director of the Human Longevity Lab at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
But, Vaughan points out that DNA age tests are just one measure of biological age and overall health. His lab uses a variety of tests, including AI generated computations of cardiovascular health and retina health, to get a more comprehensive picture of your health and potential lifespan.
Proceed with caution
Matt Kaeberlein, the founding director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute at the University of Washington, says, eventually, these tests may give people specific results that are useful.
But for now, doctors can't give prescriptions based on an individual patient's results beyond healthy lifestyle habits that are already recommended. As of now, there's no drugs approved for anti-aging.
Some longevity researchers say people should be leery of ordering these tests from companies that are also marketing their own anti-aging remedies.
The goal of Horvath's non-profit Clock Foundation is to make the GrimAge test accessible to the research community, but it's also possible for consumers to order the test, which has been validated with published research.
Still, "I try to point out limitations and how to interpret the results," Horvaths says.
For me personally, I had to wait nearly a month for my GrimAge test results. Thankfully, I got good news. Turns out my estimated biological age is younger than my actual age.
But, could my rate of aging be slowed more, if I make more lifestyle changes? This year, I've started a resistance training program and I'm focused on dialing back stress, so I hope to go back to the longevity lab next year and test again.
There’s a longstanding myth that the appendix is a vestigial fluke of evolution that serves no real purpose in modern humans. But with today’s technology, scientists now believe the pinky finger-sized organ may serve functions related to immunity and digestion, as NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin reports. That includes offering a safe haven for beneficial gut bacteria during a bout of food poisoning or other GI distress.
And they theorize that appendicitis – an infection of the appendix – may be connected to the lack of fiber in modern Western diets. Anatomist Heather Smith says the new evidence of the organ’s usefulness may bring about new treatments for infections aside from the current standard – emergency surgery to remove the organ altogether.
Free access to independent journalism and innovative storytelling are crucial. Knowing the facts keeps you informed. And stories help you understand other perspectives. The NPR Network is committed to informing and engaging the public. You can amplify the impact with your support today.
When reporter Keisha “TK” Dutes’ brother asked for help designing flyers for his business, she was happy to pitch in. He sent her one draft, then another, and asked for more and more feedback. Dutes enjoyed the task..until her brother started criticizing her work. Then she got angry fast. Dutes realized she needed to set boundaries around how much help she could offer and how she and her sibling communicate.
Yasin Bojang, cofounder of the UK based group Home Girls Unite, has advice for those of us who are the go-to problem-solvers among their family, friends, or coworkers. "When you constantly intervene, you will likely have nothing left to give when hard situations present themselves,” Bojang says. She shared tips with Dutes on how to decide when it’s time to say “no,” and how to disengage if you tend to get tangled up in other people’s drama.
It’s been a big week for Elmo, the furry red Muppet who’s been a friend to Sesame Street watchers since the 1980s. On Monday morning, Elmo’s X account shared: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The post quickly went viral as responses poured in. Many people wrote un-ironically about being exhausted, depressed, or full of dread about the future. Elmo responded saying he learned how important it is to check in with friends. President Biden chimed in with support. And on Thursday, Elmo visited the Today Show to talk about dealing with difficult emotions.
If this all seems a bit much, consider that Elmo possesses some of the most important attributes of a good therapist, as NPR’s Bill Chappell reports, including unconditional acceptance and empathy. Personally I’d prefer to open up to Mr. Snuffleupagus – I feel like he really gets me. So I was happy to see Snuffy, Rosita, Cookie Monster and other beloved characters offer to lend an ear on social media later in the week. (Oscar the Grouch said he’s not great with listening to others’ big feelings, but his worm friend Slimey is happy to chat.)
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