Question 43 of 433
What is “biological age”?
The short answer
It is an estimate of how worn your body is compared with the average person of your calendar age. It is a useful idea and, so far, an imprecise measurement.
Your calendar age is fixed. Your biological age is supposed to capture the difference between the two 78-year-old women at the start of Part 1. Scientists estimate it from chemical marks on DNA, from proteins in the blood, from ordinary lab tests, or from physical performance. Each method gives a different answer, which tells you something about how settled the science is.
“This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship.” From the book’s medical disclaimer. Full disclaimer
RESEARCH CONCEPT — Biological-age estimates are not validated individual treatment targets.Evidence grade (draft mapping)JClinical judgment / author synthesisPart 4, Q43 · Part sources
From Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.