From Lab to Life: How Old Are You (Really)?

Today is my birthday. I am 84.

But wait!  That’s my chronological age. I was born on November 10, 1942.

What is my biological age?  How old is my body?

The answer to that question is given by our epigenetic clocks: a set of cellular sites whose DNA methylation measures body age.

DNA methylation, in turn, is a biochemical process that adds a methyl group to the DNA molecule without changing the underlying genetic sequence. Because it alters gene activity “on top of” the genetic code, it is classified as an epigenetic modification.  [Epigenetics is the study of how cells control gene activity and expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.]    By measuring the amount of methyl, scientists can measure the biological age of the body; the more the methyl, the older the body.  See  Christopher Bell  and V.K. Rakyan, Queen Mary University of London,  et al.,**

** Bell, C. G., Lowe, R., Adams, P. D., Baccarelli, A. A., Beck, S., Bell, J. T., … & Rakyan, V. K. (2019). DNA methylation aging clocks: challenges and recommendations. Genome biology, 20(1), 249.

I’m pretty sure my biological age is somewhat less than 84.  Here is why.

I am blessed. I have a really good wife, great children and grandchildren – and great grandchildren.  I work out, walk a lot, exercise, and do Tai Chi stretching. I have very little stress in daily life.  I have a great family.  I belong to a loving Masoreti (Conservative) synagogue.  I continue to teach. I write a lot. I have a regular blog at Times of Israel website,  called From Lab to Life.  I do a weekly podcast, in English and Hebrew, with our wonderful Rabbi.

In short –  if your brain knows that you are enjoying life and have a strong purpose in life, strong meaning –  it will try its best to keep the immune system in top shape, to keep you alive.  That way, your biological age is not as advanced as your chronological age.  And your DNA stays in good shape.   It has less methyl to mess it up.

There is a direct connection between  enjoying life and continuing to find meaning, reasons to live, and the underlying age of your physical body.  Scientists have found a way to measure it.  It is nice that there are ways that we can slow our chronological clock, which is inexorable, and influence our biological clock.