A study has confirmed what many of us have been saying for years: age is nothing but a number. The researchers developed a method to determine the pace of ageing in individuals by looking at a range of biomarkers – including blood pressure and gum health. The study participants, all aged 38, varied widely in “biological age” and those ageing more quickly also looked older and reported more health problems.
The concept of biological age is often thought of as the proportion of an individual’s ultimate lifespan that has elapsed. In the context of this study, however, its measurement and meaning are slightly different. Examining 954 men and women in the Dunedin Birth Study Cohort, the researchers determined the biological ages of the participants to years above or below 38, which gave a range from 28 years to 61 years.
The only definition of ageing that really works is based on populations rather than individuals. Ageing is an increase in the likelihood of dying with increasing chronological age, as shown in this table. That is one reason why this work is significant; because it gives an idea of ageing in an individual.
