What is your biological age, what is its significance for health, and how can it be improved? The experts from GlycanAge explain
What is ‘biological age’?
Biological age is the true measure of your overall health on a molecular level. Today, there are multiple ways to measure it looking at different ageing mechanisms (e.g. chronic inflammation, telomere length, DNA methylation). One of the leading biomarkers of biological ageing are glycans which reflect the levels of chronic inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation can be affected by genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Unlike chronological age, biological age can be reversed with lifestyle and medical interventions.
What are glycans?
Glycans are complex sugars which surround every cell and are present on over half of proteins in our body. They respond to your lifestyle choices and indicate the inflammatory state of your immune system, which in turn determines your biological age. Glycans have a large influence on your unique biology and are regulated almost equally by our genes on one side and environment and lifestyle choices on the other.
How is biological age affected by lifestyle?
Various inflammatory factors like excessive or unsuitable diet or fitness regimen, hormone changes, environment, etc can cause an imbalance between pro and anti-inflammatory glycans. This leads to low-grade systemic inflammation, which can speed up the process of ageing and increase the risk for many diseases. With that being said, positive changes to your lifestyle can reverse the damage and lead to lower levels of inflammation.
How does the GlycanAge testing process work?
Once you receive your test, all you have to do is prick your finger and let 4 drops of blood fall on the collection card. Every test comes with a pre-addressed envelope so that you can easily send your sample to our lab. It takes 3-5 weeks to analyze your blood because we run multiple tests on every sample to ensure the most accurate measure of biological age available. Once we have your results, we’ll email you with your biological age and further instructions.
How long does it take to get results?
It takes about 3-5 weeks to receive your results. This may seem long, but glycan analysis takes time. We conduct multiple tests so that we could get the most precise results.
How often should I test?
We recommend testing once a year. Your biological age fluctuates based on life events, lifestyle, and other factors, so it’s crucial to periodically re-test. This is especially important if you’ve been making any changes to your diet, fitness, sleep schedule and mental health practices because re-testing helps you understand whether you’re making good changes or if they need to be optimised to improve your performance.
Once I have my results, what is the next step?
Your results will arrive with an invitation to schedule a complimentary video consultation with a specialist. They will take you through your personalized report, explain the results and help you understand how to improve your well-being by making specific adjustments to your lifestyle. The consultation is completely personalized to your needs and we welcome any questions that will help you work towards a better result.
What’s the story behind GlycanAge?
GlycanAge is the result of an unexpected revelation made by our co-founder, Prof. Gordon Lauc. Initially focused on studying disease patterns, Prof. Lauc found that glycans showed noticeable shifts and changes up to a decade before the onset of disease. This discovery sparked a deeper exploration into the role of glycans in health, pioneering a biological marker that accurately measures biological age, thus offering a new angle on individual health and ageing.
Where can I find out more about GlycanAge?
You can find out more about GlycanAge on our website, social media, science publications and podcast.
What does it cost?
The GlycanAge test costs £289, or you can get two at the discounted price of £492.
