YOU may think that ageing is inevitable, but some scientists disagree.
Professor David Sinclair, geneticist and co-director of Harvard’s Sinclair Lab in the US, claims DNA “is no longer your destiny”.
GettyThere are habits you can adopt which can help slow down the ageing process, some experts believe[/caption]
He believes 20 per cent of future health is “prewritten, determined by our genes, but the other 80 per cent is within our control”.
Which can be comforting or terrifying, depending on how clued up you are on healthy lifestyle choices.
Stress, pollution, diet, smoking, lack of exercise and too much booze can all accelerate ageing.
Poor sleep can too — although naps could be your saving grace. Scientists at University College London published findings last week, in the journal Sleep Health, that link regular catnaps in middle-age with good brain health and lower dementia risk.
We also forget how important socialising is. Dr Tamsin Lewis, founder of online health site wellgevity.com, says: “People don’t realise robust emotional health is one of the most protective factors of healthy ageing.
“You could be an isolated vegan and be quite miserable and you will almost certainly age faster than the average person who goes out for dinner and drinks three times a week.”
Tweaking your habits can feel overwhelming, and adding years to your life may seem out of reach. But scientists and tech gurus are working on solutions that might not allow us to live for ever but could maybe help us turn back time.
DEMENTIA DRUGS: Alzheimer’s Research UK has warned that one in two of us will get dementia, or end up caring for a loved one who has it. By 2040, 1.2million of us — a third more than today — could have the devastating disease, which is the UK’s leading cause of death.
Currently there is no cure and cases are rocketing, as we live longer. But landmark trials of drugs lecanemab and donanemab have proven Alzheimer’s can be slowed down.
Donanemab was found able to break down clumps of toxic proteins that build up in the brain in early-stage dementia patients, effectively halting the disease.
Dr Cath Mummery, who is a brain surgeon at University College London Hospitals, said: “This result confirms that we are now entering an era where we could treat Alzheimer’s.”
BLOOD PLASMA SWAPS: It might sound like a scene from a vampire movie, but blood transfusions and plasma donations from youngsters to their elders are being tested with success — in mice and rats at least.
Bryan Johnson / Blue printMulti-millionaire Bryan Johnson, 45, right, has swapped blood plasma with his 17-year-old son in his effort to roll back the years[/caption]
In February, Dr Harold Katcher, chief scientific officer at Californian start-up Yuvan Research, and his team extended the life of a lab rat to 47 months. That’s six months longer than any other rodent previously recorded, and it followed a blood plasma infusion from a younger rat.
Dr Katcher said: “The real point of our experiments is not so much to extend lifespan, but to extend youthspan, to rejuvenate people, to make their golden years really golden years, instead of years of pain and decrepitude.”
Multi-millionaire Bryan Johnson is not put off by evidence having been found only in rodents so far. Famed for his pursuit of everlasting youth, the 45-year-old tech mogul swapped blood plasma with his 17-year-old son in his effort to roll back the years.
He told Bloomberg News: “What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable.”
REJUVENATION: Altos Labs, run by scientists from America and Cambridge and backed by Silicon Valley execs, is thought to be investigating stem cells to reprogramme and rejuvenate damaged and ageing cells.
They say that their mission is to “restore cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse disease, injury and the disabilities that can occur throughout life”.
But exactly what they are developing and testing remains a mystery. In fact, a talk from Altos in Boston last week was so mobbed, the police were called.
CELL FLUSHING: Others are currently looking at “flushing” damaged, so-called “senescent” cells that can build up and cause ageing and disease in the body.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has invested in start-up Unity Biotechnology, which is “developing therapeutics to slow, halt, or reverse diseases of ageing” by targeting these cells.
The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, US, has already extended the lifespan of mice by using drugs to do so. Clinical trials in humans are now under way. And scientists at Edinburgh University have used artificial intelligence to develop an algorithm which has identified three compounds that can combat senescent cells.
8 EASY TIPS TO HELP YOU TURN BACK TIME
THERE are things you can do today to help slow the ageing process. Try these simple tips from Dr Tamsin Lewis . . .
MOVE IT: Exercise is a key factor in determining how well we age. Boost muscle mass by strength training and work on your posture and flexibility.
TRY: A ten-minute at-home Yoga With Adriene video on YouTube.SO HORMONAL: As our levels of oestrogen and testosterone start to fall we naturally lose muscle.
TRY: If you’re a woman of perimenopausal or menopausal age, chat to your GP about HRT. If you’re a man, lifting weights can boost testosterone levels.CHICKEN AND EGG: Stimulate muscle with protein-rich foods such as eggs, chicken or yoghurt. You need a gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight.
TRY: Two boiled eggs for breakfast, on wholegrain toast, or full-fat Greek yoghurt with berries.MIND MATTERS: Mental health is vital when it comes to ageing. Consider doing some psychotherapy or breath work to stay mentally strong.
TRY: Download the Breathwrk: Breathing Exercises app.GREAT OUTDOORS: A lack of natural light has a big influence on our brains, which determine everything downstream including hormone function and mood.
TRY: After breakfast, take a brisk walk round the park, or to the bus stop rather than driving.SWEET DREAMS: We naturally lose rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as we age, but can protect that by improving the strength of our brain by using it more. So keep learning. Stay curious.
TRY: Read a novel from a genre you wouldn’t ordinarily choose to give your brain a workout.POWER UP: Take supplements such as Omega-3 or Lion’s Mane medicinal mushrooms to help the brain age better. Vitamin D, spermidine and resveratrol have anti-ageing properties.
TRY: Eat antioxidant-rich foods such as olives, seeds and blueberries.GUT FEELING: The gut is a big driver of inflammation which can accelerate ageing. Keep it healthy by avoiding highly processed foods and feeding it probiotics, veg, starches and fruit.
TRY: Aim for 30 types of fruit and veg a week. That includes herbs, spices, nuts and seeds.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER… AND MAY NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY
WHILE science explores ways to extend lifespan, you can check your “biological age” right now. Scientists say it may be a better health indicator than chronological age, which is how long you have lived.
Tests consider diet and nutrition, pollution, physical fitness and alcohol. Dr Tamsin Lewis says: “There is evidence these things affect how you age. If you drink too much or lead a sedentary lifestyle, you age faster.”
Sun Health asked two readers to take a £299 Bio- Synergy DNA & Epigenetics Testing Kit (bio-synergy.uk/product-category/dna) to reveal their biological age, as well as the state of their eyesight, hearing and memory.
Below is how they got on . . .
‘Gutted over results for my biological age’
Glen MinikinAnnie Stirk says: ‘I’ve always thought I look younger than my years, so I was disappointed my biological age was the same as my true age’[/caption]
REAL AGE: 73
BIOLOGICAL AGE: 72.6
Eye age: 62.5
Hearing age: 65.7
Memory age: 69.1
ANNIE Stirk, 73, who used to work in TV and is a grandmother of three, lives in Brandsby, North Yorks, with husband Ken, 73. She says:
‘I feel relatively healthy but take tablets for high blood pressure, and a daily statin and blood-thinner to protect against strokes.
I used to work in television and was a workaholic stresshead. I worry that has taken its toll.
During menopause, I really struggled with aches and pains. Since retiring, though, I’ve tried to get on top of my health.
I take a daily walk with my dog and play squash, lift weights and do Pilates.
I’ve always thought I look younger than my years, so I was disappointed my biological age was the same as my true age.
It’s made me reassess my lifestyle. I’ll cut down on sugar.
I felt really positive that my memory age was younger, though. At my age everyone frets about dementia.’
‘Shocked hearing is worse than expected’
Lucy Wilson says: ‘I was relieved my biological age matched my true age’This and That Photography
REAL AGE: 42
BIOLOGICAL AGE: 42
Eye age: 46.3
Hearing age: 61
Memory age: 48
LUCY Wilson, 42, of Basing-stoke, Hants, is a mum of two, and the founder of wellbeing business Shine Strong Revolution. She says:
‘When I was 18, my brother Alexander, who was 15, died from a brain tumour. It was a very tough time.
I then spent years smoking, drinking and having late nights. It wasn’t until I met my husband at 28 that I settled down.
I can’t have hangovers now, my son has a bowel condition, so I’ve got be 100 per cent. I run three times a week, walk every day, eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables and have cut back my meat intake.
I was relieved my biological age matched my true age.
I’m not surprised my memory isn’t as good as it could be. I’m now eating more fish and omega-3 fatty acids to help improve it.
But I was shocked my hearing was so bad. It’s something I’ll need to keep an eye on.’