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What does "your biological age" really mean?

2026-08-24 21:00:40Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

What does "your biological age" really mean?

Two people can be the same age on paper, but very different in terms of health.

Scientists already use several established methods to assess how quickly a person is biologically aging. Now, a new study has examined what's happening inside the body when five of the most commonly used methods signal faster aging.

The methods, known as epigenetic clocks, are mathematical models based on DNA methylation – chemical changes around DNA that can affect how genes behave without changing the genetic code itself.

Epigenetic clocks are widely used in aging research to study how biological aging is related to disease, physical decline, and risk of death.

“Aging isn’t just about the number of candles on your birthday cake – it’s also about what’s happening inside your cells,” T. Em Arpawong, research associate professor of gerontology at USC’s Leonard Davis School, said in a press release.

But it was still unknown what was happening inside the body when each hour showed faster aging.

To investigate this, researchers in the United States analyzed blood samples from 3,227 people in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study.

They compared five commonly used epigenetic clocks with gene activity in blood samples to see what was happening in the body when each clock showed faster aging.

The study found that the five hours were linked to different signs of aging in the body. Some were more closely related to how the body uses energy and how cells grow, while others were linked to immune activity and inflammation.

The clocks also shared some common characteristics, particularly differences involving the immune system, metabolism, and communication between cells.

Opening the 'black box' of biological aging clocks

The researchers say the findings could help scientists choose which time of aging is most useful for a given study. One might be more suitable for research on the immune system, for example, while another might be more useful for studying metabolism.

The team also developed new measurements called transcriptomic gene scores of aging (TAGS) based on the study findings.

In some cases, TAGS were better than watches alone in predicting frailty, walking speed, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and mortality, according to the study.

Lead author Eileen Crimmins at USC Leonard Davis said the work helps open the "black box" behind the biological clocks of aging by showing which molecular processes are associated with their readouts.

"By uncovering the molecular programs behind these biomarkers, our findings improve their interpretability and help guide their use in geological science, epidemiology, and future clinical applications," she said.


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