How can I age healthily?

Aging is a universal concern in our society today. Throughout the last century, life expectancy in most countries experienced a notable increase. This trend has continued in the first decades of the 21st century, thanks to advances in the field of healthcare and widespread access to medical care. A clear example of this progress is Spain, where the average life expectancy has increased from just over 34 years in 1900 to 83 years in 2021, ranking among the countries with the longest lifespans worldwide. While this achievement is cause for celebration, it is also important to highlight that this increase in life expectancy leads to an increase in diseases associated with aging, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases . It is clear that we all want to live many years, but it is also crucial to ensure an optimal old age.

What biological processes are key to promoting aging?

Although aging, in its broadest sense, has always been an area of social interest, it wasn’t until well into the 21st century that the biological foundations for this concept were established at a scientific level. In 2013, a scientific review was published in the prestigious journal Cell , proposing a series of cellular and molecular characteristics associated with aging:

• genomic instability or accumulation of genetic variants that alter the genome
• fraying of the ends of chromosomes (telomeres)
• alterations in epigenetic marks in the genome
• loss of the proper balance of proteins within the cell (proteostasis)
• deactivation of the degradation of damaged cells and cellular components (macroautophagy)
• alteration in the normal process by which the body detects and responds to the presence and availability of nutrients in the body
• dysfunction or decreased functioning of mitochondria
• senescence or cell death
• stem cell depletion
• altered intercellular communication
• chronic inflammation
• Alteration in the composition and/or functions of the microorganisms that inhabit our tissues (dysbiosis)

These parameters are interconnected with each other, as well as with a person’s overall health, which includes maintaining the body’s homeostasis and responding appropriately to stress.

Among all these characteristics, telomere shortening has emerged in recent years as one of the most useful biomarkers for determining the state of cellular aging.

What are telomeres?

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes. Chromosomes are the structures that contain all of our DNA. They are like our instruction books, containing the more than 20,000 genes in the human genome. It’s clear that this information is very valuable to the cell, so it must be properly protected. The way the cell protects this information is through telomeres. To understand this, this protection is similar to the function of the tips of a shoelace; they are there to prevent the lace from fraying. However, with each cell division, the chromosome loses a piece of this protection. This is how telomeres shorten as cells divide and, consequently, as we age . When telomeres are too short to undergo another round of cell division without endangering the integrity of the rest of the chromosome, the cell dies. Thus, telomere length has become one of the most obvious markers for assessing the degree of aging of our cells.

How can I measure my biological age?

With the AboutMe Biological Age study, we can analyze your average telomere length, which provides you with valuable information about your level of cellular aging. More than the absolute value of telomere length, what’s important for our health is the rate of telomere loss. By taking the test regularly, we’ll know if you’re aging faster than the average for your age, or if you’re aging at a healthy rate. . Having this knowledge allows you to draw up a personalized anti-aging action plan to slow down the rate of telomere shortening and, therefore, your rate of aging, as well as promote a healthy lifestyle.. Our team of experts will guide you and provide recommendations based on anti-aging science. In addition, our other preventive medicine tests provide additional tools for healthy aging. We understand that it’s not just about prolonging your life, but also about living in optimal conditions. For example, through our AboutMe Nutrigenetic Test, we explore the relationship between diet and genetics, allowing you to tailor your diet to your specific needs.

Learn the difference between your chronological and biological age, check if your telomere length is normal for your age, and benefit from the nutritional supplement guidelines we offer to reverse your rate of telomere shortening.

Do you want to measure the length of your telomeres?

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