How Old Are You?

Researchers can now determine an individual’s biological age by reading a “signature” based on hundred and fifty genes. A person biological age can be different than his or her chronological age. The biological age is a better measure for a person’s health. The biological age is closely tied to risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. These researchers tested their methods in a group of participants that were all 70 years old. They discovered that higher scores were associated with better health.  While lower healthy gene was found in in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  It’s still unclear if lower health genes could determine if a person will develop Alzheimer disease.

I think this research could lead to some amazing things in the future. If a patient knows their healthy genes are low they could take preventive measures as they get older. Hopefully they can find a direct relationship with all people with lower healthy genes and Alzheimer. The only downfall with the biological age is that insurance companies could charge more if a person biological age is higher than their chronological age.