
The long-term national health study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, began in 1993. To reach these findings, study authors analyzed data encompassing the physical and cognitive statuses of 1,813 women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative. Epigenetic age acceleration increases the risk of death “Healthspan is important because the number of individuals who will live to be 90 years and older will quadruple from 1.9 million in 2016 to 7.6 million in 2050 in the United States alone,” Dr.


If an individual’s epigenetic age is older than their chronological age, scientists call it epigenetic age acceleration.Įpigenetic age acceleration displays a link to higher risk levels for cancer, as well as greater odds of developing cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other ailments.Īccording to four different epigenetic “clocks” measuring biological aging, roughly every five to eight years of epigenetic age acceleration lowers the chances of living to 90 while retaining good mobility and cognitive function by 20 to 32 percent. Epigenetic age, on the other hand, measures the biological age of a person’s cells, tissues, and organ systems. When most people think about their age, they’re focusing on their chronological age based on their birthday. What if we had a way to measure how fast we were aging that could predict our odds of living a long and healthy life? In aging research, we call this an individual’s healthspan,” says principal investigator Andrea LaCroix, Ph.D., M.P.H., Distinguished Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, in a university release. “Older people know well that age is just a number that may not be indicative of their health status. Overall, study authors conclude that epigenetic age acceleration may soon become a viable biomarker for healthy longevity, used to help estimate both functional and cognitive aging.

After analyzing a group of over 1,800 older women, scientists report accelerated bodily aging (epigenetic age acceleration) appears to have a connection to a lower chance of both living to the age of 90 and retaining physical mobility and mental function. SAN DIEGO - You’re only as old as you feel, according to researchers from the University of California-San Diego.
