Proof That Healthy Habits Turn Back the Biological Clock

Some of the benefits of eating healthy and exercising are apparent right away. In a matter of a few weeks, we can see and feel the changes in our bodies. We might see a difference on the scale, or in how our clothes fit. Or we may notice that we are less winded after going up steps or shlepping a big load of groceries. We may even perceive positive changes in our mood and energy levels.

And, of course, we also hope that these good habits are going to deliver long-term benefits as well, delaying or preventing the onset of disease or disability as we age. Those benefits can be a bit harder to measure, however.

But as scientists learn more about the aging process, they've developed new ways to measure and quantify "biological age" as opposed to "chronological" or "calendar" age. These markers can be used to assess the effects of various anti-aging interventions.

Measuring biological age

One of the ways scientists measure biological age is a blood test that measures the Epigenetic Mutation Load, or EML. 

Although the genes that you're born with affect your risk of certain diseases, your environment and lifestyle play a big role in how those genes express themselves over the course of your lifetime, or whether or not certain genes are switched on or off. These epigenetic changes are triggered by environmental factors like smoking, air pollution, chemical exposures, diet, stress, and so on. In other words, even if you have inherited a genetic predisposition, there is still a lot you can do to mitigate your risk through the choices you make.

The EML test looks for specific epigenetic changes that are associated with aging or disease. A higher EML score has been correlated to your likelihood of dying of cancer, for example.

Another way to assess biological age is to measure DNA methylation, a chemical process that takes place inside the body, which can alter the behavior of genes. These types of tests are often referred to as "DNAm clocks," and they are getting better and better at predicting how long people will live and how healthy they will stay.

For example, the more advanced DNAm clocks can reliably predict your future risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, COPD, cancer, and how long you are likely to live. They've also been associated with other aspects of healthy aging, such as walking speed, brain health, and age-related frailty.

How to add 3 extra years of healthy life

Researchers in Italy recently used both of these tests to measure the effects of different lifestyle interventions in a group of 200+ post-menopausal women.

One of the nice things about this study is that it looked at changes in subjects' epigenetic clocks over time,...

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