The result is progressive cell and tissue deterioration, causing physical and mental functions to be lost over time. The speed at which this aging process occurs varies from person to person. Calendar-like people of the same age can therefore have very different biological ages.
What is biological age?
Biological age indicates the age of a person. While the calendar age – also called chronological age – is a pure indication of time (e.g. in years of life), biological age also takes into account:
- health status
- physical fitness
- mental capacity
Aging is partly hereditary. But many other influences also play a role – such as environmental factors, personal lifestyle and living conditions. To a certain extent, aging can be counteracted. You can find out whether and how well you have succeeded so far by calculating your approximate biological age.
Why you should know your biological age
Biological age can vary greatly even among relatively young adults. The impact of these differences was already evident in a study of 26-year-olds: those with an older biological age
- were physically less capable than their peers with a lower biological age,
- were mentally less productive than before,
- also showed changes in the brain typical of aging,
- According to their own statements, they had poorer health and
- were considered older by strangers because of their appearance.
So it’s worth knowing your biological age. Because it allows conclusions to be drawn about the state of health as well as physical and mental fitness. If necessary, preventive measures can then be taken in a timely manner – with the aim of growing older as healthily as possible and reducing the risk of diseases that occur more frequently in old age (such as heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or many cancers ) .
Limits of self-testing
The best way to calculate biological age has not yet been fully researched. Several biomarkers are usually used – such as lung, kidney and heart function, various blood values, blood pressure, body mass index and waist-hip ratio, gum health, density of antibodies against certain viruses and the condition of the genetic makeup (DNA).
Some important biomarkers cannot be used in an online test. With our test you can only roughly determine your biological age. But that’s enough to find out whether and how you should do something for yourself. This way you can improve your quality of life and improve your chances of living longer in good health .
Lowering biological age: The most important tips
The aging process cannot be stopped. However, you can counteract the typical symptoms of aging so that your biological age is ideally below your calendar age. It is particularly important to
- to exercise regularly,
- to train specifically and
- to eat a healthy and balanced diet.
Such a lifestyle helps to maintain or even improve many age characteristics in a healthy range well into old age – such as muscle mass, the ability to absorb oxygen, body fat percentage and bone density. This also has a positive effect on other physical characteristics – such as body weight and blood pressure.
It is also crucial for health, well-being and performance to be mentally balanced and to have a well-functioning social network: being able to manage stress properly and being able to count on your family, partnership or friendships is good for your biological age.However, you should avoid factors that can negatively influence your biological age. These include, above all, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, too much UV radiation and mental stress.