How old exactly is your body?
Online tests can now accurately tell you how well or how badly your body has aged.
A well-known fact about the lifestyle of a busy person living in a fast-paced city like ours is that we sometimes don’t have time to truly keep ourselves healthy. And often, the detrimental effects of said lifestyle don’t show on the outside, but they are happening, and you can feel them.
Most people have questioned at least a few times in their lives ‘Have I aged badly?’or ‘Is my body as healthy as I think it is?’ If you are one of those curious people, there is actually a legitimate scientific way to get the answer to your question.
Researchers at King’s College London have found a more accurate way to tell how old your body really is. The trick is to use your ‘biological age’ instead of your time alive on Earth as an indicator. After an extensive study comparing 54,000 markers of gene activity in healthy, (but mostly sedentary people) from ages 25 to 65, they have narrowed them down to a final 150 factors.
What does this mean?
This study has helped many other researchers, doctors and scientists all over the world accurately predict the most probable time of death for elderly people, depending on those 150 factors. Results of tests were that you could tell who had zero chance of passing away within the next 10-20 years, and those who had a 45% chance.
Primary tests have begun to see if organ transplants will still be successful if the donors are technically old, but have a young “biological age”. The research has also raised questions in the area of cancer screening, because they think that people who are aging rapidly may need to be screened at a younger age.
The best way to keep yourself healthy and alive longer is taking the necessary small steps like eating healthier and exercising occasionally. As a little fun tidbit, you could also take this online test to get a gauge of your biological age.
However, this new research is fresh out of the oven and hasn’t been fully explored, so take it with a pinch of salt as more studies are undertaken.
Bernice Ng
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