Epigenetics and the science of biological age
| | | | Hi, friends! I hope everyone's basking in that one-of-a-kind beginning-of-the-year optimism. This is our year, I can just feel it. | | Today, we're checking out an area of science that's getting a lot of attention these days: epigenetics. We'll explain the theory of how biological age differs from chronological age and whether you should trust the current epigenetic tests on the market. | | Some other stuff we have in store: | | • | the difference between you and your ancestor's genes | | | | | Stay sharp,
Ginger Wojcik
Newsletter Editor, Healthline | | | | |
| |  | | Written by Ginger Wojcik
January 4, 2023 • 5 min read | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | What's up with biological age tests? | Epigenetics is an emerging field of research that studies how your environment and behavior can affect the way genes work. The epigenetics of aging studies how factors like smoking cigarettes, sun exposure, diet, and even racial discrimination create genetic changes that accelerate the aging process.
Scores of startups have taken to the internet in recent years to sell biological age tests. Instead of calculating your chronological age by the number of years you've been on Earth, these tests claim to be able to tell you the actual age of your body by testing for changes to the expression of your genes. And while the concept is *so hot* right now, the science is still evolving, and not all the tests on the market are created equal, according to Meesha Dogan, PhD, co-founder and director of Cardio Diagnostics.
So which ones are superior? According to Dogan, biological age tests that use DNA methylation are the ones most worth considering. But she also urges people to look into the scientific evidence behind any test before putting too much stock into the results.
Also, not all biological tests give actionable results. For a test to tell you anything useful about how to live your life, it needs to be able to tell you which of your behaviors are influencing your biological age, says Dogan. Otherwise, you're forced to guess why your biological age is different from your age on paper.
While there's a long way to go still, experts are hopeful that being able to reliably measure biological age could more accurately predict the onset of disease, and therefore help people take preventive measures to maintain their health.
tl;dr: Epigenetic tests are being sold online that claim they can tell you your "biological age," i.e., the actual age of your body irrespective of how long you've been alive. However, research is still in its infancy. It's not clear how accurate these tests are or what one even does with the information when they get it, but it may help us improve our habits so we can live healthier lives going forward. | | | | | | |
| | | | Editor faves with health perks | | You know those great finds you just *have* to tell your friends about? That's how we feel about the products we recommend here. Every pick has been vetted by our editorial team, and we genuinely think it'll make your life better. | | | | | | |  | | Wisdom Panel | | Human genetic testing is cool and all, but did you know you can test your pet's DNA, too? | | In addition to the fun of learning your full-bred doggo is actually a quarter chihuahua, the testing can also be a helpful way to get insights into your pet's health. Depending on which tier you buy, you can screen your pet for genetic health conditions and also learn their blood type. All you need to do is swab the inside of your pet's mouth for 15 seconds to get a viable sample. Good luck with that. | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | In a recent Instagram post, Elyse Meyers talks about making peace with aging and how happy she is that she "chose to stay." Though she never names it, it's heavily implied that she experienced suicidality earlier in her life. Her post came a few days before news broke that Stephen "tWitch" Boss died by suicide at the age of 40. (Please note that you can find free and confidential support at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.) | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | Ancestry shmancestry: How close are we really? | Here's a fun fact: "At seven generations back, less than 1% of your DNA is likely to have come from any given ancestor," according to ancestry.com. This can be explained by our old friend, math. With every generation, your number of blood relatives doubles, ballooning the gene pool of your ancestry. Sure, your great, great, great, great, great grandmother may have been a countess, but only a very small amount of her DNA has likely been passed on to you.
No one understood this math better than the royal families of old, who commonly married off close relatives to keep the bloodline — and cash flows — as "pure" as possible. (They paid a healthy price for their greed: The health effects of inbreeding was a widespread problem among royal families.)
Indeed, the fact that we share genes with such a large ancestry of people is to our benefit. Genetic diversity is a crucial factor in the health of a species and gives us a better shot at adapting to our environment. (Interestingly, humans are actually one of the less genetically diverse species, likely because of the relative newness of our existence.)
Hence, the idea that our blood can entitle us to anything doesn't have much scientific backing, especially the further back you go. In the end, the idea of ancestry is more a story we tell than anything, and that story can hold as much, or as little, significance as you choose. | | | | | | |
| | | | | | My mom is a genealogy fanatic. Way before ancestry.com was a thing, she was spending full days looking through the early internet's repository of documents looking for clues about relatives who came before us. She is someone who finds meaning in knowing who came before her and what kind of lives they may have lived. Her ancestry is an important part of her identity and sense of self. | | I can't say I share her enthusiasm or sentimentality on the subject. But I know her stance is shared by many, likely many of you. | | We want to know: In what ways do you feel connected to your ancestry, if at all? Let us know at wellnesswire@healthline.com. (Please note that we may use your name and response in an upcoming edition!) | | | | | | |
| | | | Thanks for reading! Last week, we asked readers for their solstice rituals. We received this lovely response from Elizabeth B.
My family and I acknowledge and marvel at all of the solstices, and winter solstice is one of the most powerful for us. We acknowledge the beauty and enveloping nature of the darkness and spend time looking at constellations leading up to the winter solstice. Then we light up the darkest night of the year with a bonfire and we celebrate the coming of the light (because we love to grow food and it means that growing season is returning!).
Morgan will be back in your inbox on Friday.
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| | | | | | | Until next time, |  | Take care of yourself, and we'll see
you again soon! | | |  | | |  | | This edition was powered by | | daydreams of summer. | | | | | | | View in browser
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