Are You Younger Than Your Actual Age?
Everything you do can have an impact on your "biological age."
When longevity first became hot, I’ll admit, I was skeptical.
“There’s no way taking a few pills or doing 10 more minutes of exercise daily could have that much of an impact on how long I live,” I thought.
I’ve had grandparents who’ve passed away in their late 70s and early 80s, which is the standard for most Americans, so truthfully, all I’ve known is the default. But more and more, I hear of people — parents of my clients or relatives of friends — who are living well into their 90s.
Turns out I did have to explore outside my bubble a bit to see that not everyone croaks at 80. It doesn’t seem, though, that we have enough data to be able to quantifiably tell what makes these people live that long.
A big reason I was still skeptical is because of that, and because long lives just seem random as f*ck. You either make it or you don’t.
Take this lady from a decade ago who made it to 106. Elizabeth Sullivan joked that, after having lived to 104 (this article was published two years before she passed), drinking Dr. Pepper after turning 60 was the magic elixir that kept her going for 46 more years.
That’s clearly not true, but it dispels a lot of what the longevity news today talks about. If Sullivan really did drink a soda a day, despite living in Fort Worth, Texas (a state where cardiovascular disease occurs at a statistically higher rate), then how predictable is lifespan, and how can we be so sure little habits will make an impact?
Sure, one could argue that Texas’s high population might naturally lead to more instances of disease, but that still doesn’t excuse them from being better at taking care of people.
Illinois and New Jersey, for example, have much fewer instances of CV disease despite still ranking #6 and #11, respectively, in total population.
Anywho, the metrics that predict your lifespan still feel imperfect to me. Regardless, I wanted to share some interesting new ways people are tracking their “biological age” that may have an effect on how long you live.
Time will tell.
Are You Younger Than Your Actual Age?
You might be 45, but feel like you’re still 35. And more and more wellness innovations are starting to prove this. Blood tests, biomarkers, and lab results might actually reveal that a 45-year-old can have similar readings on their diagnostic testing as the average 35-year-old.
This is the process of determining biological age. In other words, if your chronological age is one number, but your health indicators — blood pressure, testosterone levels, nutrient levels, and more — might indicate another.
A whole host of other factors, some not exclusively biological, might also influence your biological age. The age you psychologically think of yourself as, the regularity of your sleeping patterns and circadian rhythm, and your gut microbiome no doubt have an effect on this.
Olivia and I discussed methylation earlier in the week in our discussion on my bloodwork (which you can watch/listen to here), which is the rate at which our genes mutate and evolve, and prevent or allow disease or illness.
Function Health has identified a few biomarkers in blood test results that one can nail down to most effectively slow aging, which I’ll list here.
Albumin
A key protein made by the liver that helps carry nutrients throughout your body. Low levels can signal liver or kidney problems or a lack of dietary protein.
Creatinine
A waste product made by muscles and filtered by the kidneys. Abnormal levels can point to kidney issues, which may be affected by diet, medications, blood pressure, or blood sugar. (Future newsletter on this one coming soon!)
Glucose
Your body’s main source of energy. High glucose levels over time can lead to insulin resistance and raise the risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP)
A marker of inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation (“inflammaging”) is linked to faster aging and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
White blood cell (WBC) count
White blood cells protect against infection. Healthy levels show a strong immune system, while consistently abnormal counts can raise the risk of illness and age-related diseases.
Lymphocyte %
A type of white blood cell that fights off infections. Too few or too many can mean weakened immunity and higher vulnerability to illness as you age.
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
Shows the average size of your red blood cells. If they’re too large or too small—often due to nutrient deficiencies—oxygen delivery drops, increasing fatigue and cell stress.
Red cell distribution width (RDW)
Measures how varied your red blood cell sizes are. A high RDW can indicate poor cell production and is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, and overall mortality.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
An enzyme tied to liver, bone, and tissue health. High levels can signal stress or damage in the body and are associated with faster aging and bone loss in women.
The Annoying Reminder
All of the above biomarkers can be positively impacted by having strong, highly regenerative cells in your body that turn over quickly and grow effectively.
Your cells are the homes to your DNA, which methylates (evolves and expresses itself) according to your lifestyle. Well-methylated DNA not only means a healthy you, but healthy children and grandkids.
DNA methylation and good biomarkers are the results of…
You guessed it.
Regular exercise, solid nutrition, good sleep-wake cycles, and stress management.
I know I sound like a broken record because this is the crux of the newsletter. But I can’t repeat it enough.
I go into the nuances of those four pillars every few newsletters, and I’m due for a deep dive soon, but in a world where it feels like correct health information is buried, this newsletter exists to bring it to the forefront consistently.
And that’s by reminding you that those four basic tenets — yes, they don’t have to be overcomplicated — are the biggest rocks you need to focus on.
Not supplements, not ice baths, not IV drips, and not biohacking.
One factor I’d also add to this list — which Function eloquently tacked onto theirs — is toxin exposure.
Toxin exposure is not just limited to alcohol or smoking.
It’s also being deliberate about your living standards: Exposure to BPAs in household products or certain clothing, filtering your water, staying away from polluted air, and other harmful chemicals as often as possible are easy first steps to limiting toxin exposure.
Easier said than done for some of us.
I’m aware that many who work in construction or who have manual labor jobs can’t avoid this, which makes those first four tenets even more important.
Anyway, go enjoy your Saturday.
And do me a favor.
Find a way to methylate your DNA for me today. 😃