Some of us are desperate to know the answer. Others may not think of anything worse.
But for those who want a glimpse into their future to see how old their body will be, there’s no need to look any further: companies are increasingly trying to solve the puzzle for you.
Biological age tests, which were featured on the latest season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, can, in theory, distinguish between your chronic age and your biological age.
The first refers to how many years you have lived, while the second is an estimate of the body’s deterioration based on subtle markers in your DNA.
Biological age tests, which were featured on the latest season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, can, in theory, distinguish between biological and chronic age. Pictured here, a biological age test available online, which costs £149, offers “insights into genetic predisposition to ageing and long-term health.”
But new research has suggested they may not be as accurate as initially thought in determining true “biological age.”
The American scientists who carried out the study warned that their findings had…“This will have important implications for the interpretation of commercial biological age tests and help refine their fidelity and utility for the future.”
Epigenetics is a well-established field, with dozens of companies producing their own saliva and blood “clock” tests.
But questions have been raised about whether epigenetics itself can be used to recommend lifestyle changes.
The traditional view of aging is that it is due to a slow accumulation of damage at the cellular level. Just like a car, parts of our body break down or wear out.
It can be difficult to put a number on this. That’s where an epigenetic clock test comes in.
Priced at between £150 and £300, they measure so-called DNA methylation levels.
This is the degree to which special molecules, called methyl groups, have attached themselves to the DNA of your cells.
In a recent episode of The Kardashians, Kim, her mother Kris and her sister Khloe, who took tests, discovered that Khloe’s biological age was supposedly 28, 11 years younger than her actual age, 39.
Meanwhile, Kim, 43, was given a biological age of 34, and Kris is six years younger than her actual age.
They have been described as looking like barnacles that attach themselves to the hull of a ship and slow it down.
In the study, researchers at Harvard University assessed how stem cells within a tissue or organ impact its epigenetic clock.
Tests on mice showed that there were differences depending on the part of the body: stem cells from skeletal muscle, the trachea and even blood were younger than more mature cells.
In comparison, the stem cells had a similar epigenetic age to mature skin and gut cells.
Writing in the diary, Stem cell reportsThe researchers said that muscle and blood cells “that undergo age-associated changes in abundance record a distinct epigenetic age than bulk tissues.”
Later experiments also showed that the epigenetic age of a stem cell was related to the rate at which it divides and produces new cells.
They concluded that the epigenetic age of a tissue is influenced by the activity of stem cells.
But stem cells can change in response to aging, injury or disease, they noted, meaning the results of biological aging tests may not be accurate.
Their findings “will help refine” the fidelity and utility of the tests for the future, the researchers added.
The first epigenetic tests were carried out after German geneticist Professor Steve Horvath developed an ageing “clock” at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011.
Measured specific epigenetic patterns linked to aging.
This allowed him to produce a model that estimated someone’s biological age based solely on methylation levels.
When hundreds of people were tested blindly, the biological age figures matched most people’s chronological ages, suggesting they were accurate.
This meant that the clock served as a useful comparison to see how much younger or older your cells are compared to the average person your age.
Since then, companies such as Zymo Research, Epimorphy and Chronomics have conducted trials.
In a recent episode of The Kardashians, Kim, her mother Kris and her sister Khloe, who took tests, discovered that Khloe’s biological age was supposedly 28, 11 years younger than her actual age, 39.
Meanwhile, Kim, 43, was given a biological age of 34, and Kris is six years younger than her actual age.