The eight simple things you can do to reduce your biological age by years – according to science

From the millionaire who pops 111 pills a day to stay young to the Rejuvenation Olympics, where tech tycoons compete to reverse ageing, the longevity movement has attracted its share of hype in the last few years.

But on a more sober scale, a growing body of scientific research now looks at biological age (your body’s physiological ageing process) and how, when it’s higher than our chronological age (your age in years), it can impact our risk of developing chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

Most recently, scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet found that people with a biological age that’s five years higher than their chronological age had a 40 per cent greater risk of developing vascular dementia or suffering a stroke.

Sara Hagg, associate professor of molecular epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet and co-author of the study, explains: “If you compare your body’s current functioning to people the same age as you, is it working better or worse? If it’s worse your biological age will be lower than your chronological age – and vice versa. Any reduction to your biological age is good for your long-term health.”

But the most desirable thing isn’t to have a biological age of 18 when you’re 45. “We have to be realistic,” says Nour Markarem, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York. “Simply having a biological age that is anything less than your chronological age means you’re ageing at a decelerated rate and could increase the number of years you live and the number of years you live healthily. So any decreases you can make will be beneficial.”

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But how can you work out what your biological age is? It can be measured in different ways, explains Doctor Richard Siow, director of ageing research at King’s College London. But right now, a truly accurate reading is only available in clinical settings. One way biological age can be measured is by using blood biomarkers, molecules that indicate normal or abnormal processes taking place in the body. These include blood fats, blood sugar, blood pressure, lung function and Body Mass Index (BMI). These biomarkers were used to test the 325,000 Britons between 40 and 70 who participated in the new Swedish research.

These measures are available from your GP, though of course, but if you want a rough idea, you can calculate your heart age using the NHS heart age tool if you have your height, weight, cholesterol and blood pressure measurements. This isn’t the same as a fully accurate biological age reading but some experts now believe that higher cardiovascular health may indicate low biological age. And the good news is that scientists know more than ever about the small, simple and incremental steps that can reduce our biological age by a number of years.

Makarem has co-authored new research being presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023 this week that has identified eight essential lifestyle habits that if kept to over time, can reduce a person’s biological age by up to six years. They include getting good sleep, not smoking, regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, having healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels and keeping blood pressure in the normal range.

“The strongest predictor by far for biological ageing was having a high BMI – as BMI goes up, biological age goes up,” says Makarem.

“People who were obese (>30) had the highest biological ageing and those that were overweight (>25) were also high compared to those that had a healthy BMI.

“But the upshot is that it’s a dose-response relationship, so any kind of improvement in weight will lead to an improvement in biological ageing,” Makarem says.

“The same goes for any small healthy changes you make to your lifestyle, they can all add up incrementally to a lower biological age.”

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Eat 25 per cent less

Most of the research into what improves your biological age is through observational studies, explains Hagg. That’s when scientists look at a group of people and make inferences on their past behaviours that are usually self-reported. They’re not always as reliable as trials conducted in a clinical setting.

But earlier this year, a first-of-its-kind randomised controlled study was published in The Lancet that looked at the effects of eating less on biological age. It was done over two years on 200 people aged 21-50 and found that those who ate around 25 per cent less than they usually did – called calorie restriction or CR – reduced their biological age and improved their cardiometabolic profile.

“But CR can be harmful for people, especially if they are old and frail,” Hagg points out. So take expert advice.

If you’re reducing your calories, opt for nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods. Makarem’s research found a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and unrefined starchy carbohydrates, and low in sugar, red and processed meats and processed foods, could also positively impact biological ageing.

Stop eating after 8pm

“If I could give any advice for reducing your biological age, it would be time-restricted feeding,” says Hagg. TRF or TRE (time-restricted eating) is when you reduce the number of hours in which you’re eating each day.

“It’s a way of minimising the time your body takes to metabolise and digest,” says Hagg. That keeps your blood sugar more stable, and healthy blood sugar is a marker for biological ageing.

There are lots of different ways of TRE from stopping eating at 8pm and starting again at 8am (the 12:12 model), stopping at 7pm and starting again at 9am (14:10) or fasting 16 hours and eating for eight.

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Floss at night

One of the pathways that lead to accelerated biological ageing is through inflammation, not only in the body but particularly in the mouth, says Siow.

Inflammation is the immune system’s way of removing harmful substances and when immune cells become overactive, more damage occurs. “Bacteria in the mouth known as the oral microbiome impact biological ageing,” says Siow.

“If your gums are bleeding, bacteria can get through the blood vessels in your mouth, increase inflammation in the brain and lead to accelerated brain ageing.”

One of the key signs of gum disease is bleeding gums, which affects over half the UK population. Several studies have linked gum disease with increased biological ageing.

“If you keep proper oral hygiene and floss twice a day, this could positively impact your biological ageing,” he says.

If that’s too much, try flossing only at night. A study in the Journal of Ageing Research found three oral habits were associated with increased longevity: nightly brushing, nightly flossing and regular dentist visits (2-3 times a year). Those who never flossed increased their risk of dying by 30 per cent.

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Walk faster for 10 minutes a day

There are people who plod and there are people who could give an Olympic race walker a run for their money, just whilst going to the shops.

According to 2022 research from the University of Leicester, these people may also have a low biological age. The researchers looked at genetic data from over 400,000 Brits and concluded that a lifetime of walking faster in everyday life (over 3-4 miles mph) could lead to the equivalent of 16 years younger by midlife.

But don’t worry if you can’t walk fast all the time. As little as 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is associated with a longer life expectancy.

Eat a Mediterranean diet

If you’re looking for a specific diet to help biological ageing, a clinical trial from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health published in September this year found that adults who followed a Mediterranean diet rich in polyphenols for 18 months had a nine-month reduction in their biological ages.

Polyphenols are micronutrients found in plant-based foods like vegetables, berries, dark chocolate and green tea.

“Time and again the Mediterranean diet comes out on top, with studies linking it to a lower risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases and the risk factors for them, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” says Tracy Parker, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation.

“Make sure you are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, beans, lentils, wholegrains, fish, nuts, and seeds, along with some low-fat dairy and fat from unsaturated sources like rapeseed and olive oil.

“It’s also important to eat less processed meat, salt, and sweet treats. Head to bhf.org.uk for more information or tips on how to adopt a Mediterranean diet.”

Spot the early signs of depression

“Depression really does accelerate biological ageing,” says Siow. Research earlier this year from King’s College, London found that people who had depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder were biologically older than their chronological ages.

“Depression leads to changes in sleep patterns, exercise, what we eat and sunlight exposure levels. It also alters work performance and output, all of which can lead to a cycle that’s hard to break,” Siow asserts.

What can we do? “We need to recognise the early signs of depression and put in place small lifestyle interventions to tackle it like reducing your social media use or not using your phone late at night as this reduces your sleep quality, which can predispose you to depression.”

Early signs of depression include sleep or appetite changes and difficulty concentrating. But low mood can initially also show up as feeling sad, low in confidence, anxious, worried or more tired than usual. If you’re not sure, talk to your GP sooner rather than later.

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Interrupt your sitting sessions

It’s no surprise that in the Essential 8 research, those who met the guidelines for physical activity (150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous a week) had lower biological age.

“There were very few of those people though,” Markarem points out. “But was a graded relationship which means even a little bit of exercise is better than no exercise.

“In fact, even outside session exercise, any regular interruption in sitting or sedentary behaviour can have huge benefits for lowering the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases and lowering biological ageing,” she asserts.

“If you can’t go to the gym but you get up and walk around a bit every hour and/or make your commute more active, by cycling, or walking more, it can have important benefits over time.”

The British Heart Foundation suggests simple ways to break up a sedentary day, which include standing up at work, putting time limits on sedentary activities like watching TV and planning some active time when you’d usually sit down.

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Stick to a sleep time

Who doesn’t love a weekend lie-in? But if yours is deviating from your weekday sleep/wake up times by more than 30 minutes, you might unwittingly be increasing your biological age.

“Week and weekend differences in sleep timing and duration have been linked to increased risk of various diseases,” says Makarem.

“I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to have a fixed sleep schedule. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time, or within a 30-minute range. can lower the risk of developing many chronic diseases and reduce biological age.

“The recommendation is to sleep at least seven hours, but not more than nine as this can affect disease risk,” she says.