The Truth about Aging: How to Turn Back Your Biological Clock

Are you ready to discover the science behind aging and unlock the secrets to reversing your biological clock? In this episode of the Peak Vitality Podcast, I'm diving deep into the fascinating world of biological rejuvenation and epigenetics.
 
Learn how your lifestyle choices, from nutrition to mindset, can influence your aging process at the cellular level.

Discover actionable insights into:
✅ The difference between chronological and biological age
✅ How epigenetic tests reveal your cellular health and aging rate
✅ Lifestyle hacks like intermittent fasting, stress management, and sleep optimization to slow down or even reverse the aging process
✅ Cutting-edge advancements in stem cell therapy and longevity research

With inspiring personal stories and science-backed strategies, I'm sharing how I've managed to reverse my biological age by nearly 20 years and I'm offering practical tips for achieving similar results.

Whether you're curious about anti-aging techniques, seeking to optimize your health, or looking for a roadmap to vibrant longevity, this episode is packed with insights to transform your aging journey.

🎧 Tune in and take the first step toward turning back your biological clock!

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Transcript

Welcome to the Peak Vitality Podcast! Today, we're diving deep into a topic that's at the forefront of the health and wellness world—reversing biological age or biological rejuvenation.. and the power of epigenetics to increase longevity. We'll explore how your lifestyle, diet, and even how your mindset can affect how you age at the cellular level. So, whether you want to slow down the aging process or reverse it, this episode is packed with insights and practical tips to help you live a longer, healthier and more vibrant life. 

We all know that age is just a number, but did you know there’s a difference between your chronological age and your biological age?

Chronological age is the actual number of years you’ve been alive. It’s what you celebrate on your birthday. It's influenced by aging, your lifestyle and your genes.  On the other hand, biological age refers to how old your body is based on various biomarkers and inflammation levels which are influenced by your lifestyle.

In simple terms, your biological age is a more accurate reflection of your health and vitality.

Epigenetics is the study of how your behavior, lifestyle and environment can cause biological changes that affect the way your genes work. It's not just about the genes you inherit from your parents; it's about your  lifestyle choices and personal experiences—like nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress and mental health—which can turn certain genes on or off. 

This is why two people of the same chronological age can have drastically different biological ages.

Aging is characterized by cellular decline,  and increased susceptibility to age related diseases.  As telomeres (the cap at the end of each chromosome) shorten, epigenetic changes occur along with mitochondrial dysfunction, stem cell exhaustion and genomic instability so the older you get the more cellular damage occurs until they eventually die. 

There are numerous epigenetic tests that measure your biological age and your rate of aging by analyzing your blood or saliva.  Some of these tests are EpiAge, GlycanAge, Elysium Age, and NovosAge.  

They measure the damage and changes that your cells have accumulated.. How much of your DNA has been modified epigenetically through aging and lifestyle.  More specifically They look at patterns of  DNA methylation markers, or glycol composition and chronic inflammation. DNA methylation is a biological process that involves methyl groups on DNA that can alter gene expression, cause mutations and lead to cellular damage and disease.  

Some cellular damage occurs naturally as we age, but lifestyle factors can speed it up or slow it down. These tests give us insight into how quickly we’re aging at a cellular level and can act as an early warning system before the onset of age-related diseases and neurological issues like parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint conditions, autoimmune issues and menopause.. Which can then provide a roadmap for lifestyle adjustments and strategies to slow your rate of aging.

One of the most revealing tests for measuring biological age and early warning system for health is the GlycanAge test.

It assesses chronic inflammation at a molecular level by measuring glycans, an important component of cells next to DNA, providing a snapshot of your immune system's health. It identifies potential risks for conditions like cardiovascular disease, metabolic issues, female reproductive health, obesity and autoimmune disorders a few years before any symptoms even appear.

By detecting early signs of biological aging, you can take proactive measures to prevent or manage these conditions or potential diseases. Adjusting your lifestyle, diet, and exercise routine can slow down aging, improve health, and even reverse some of the damage.

I’ve personally managed to reverse my biological age significantly, so I’d like to share these results and how you can also achieve this.

After having the twins, I took my first epigenetic test and was quite astounded by the results so I took another and another. All four in total to confirm the results were not a fluke.  All the tests revealed that I’ve been able to reverse my biological age by nearly 20 years! 

I've not had a completely exemplary life for many years. I punished my body with OTS (over training syndrome) and never slept enough or looked after myself enough trying to juggle my children and my singing career (which also required some traveling and lat nights).  i neglected myself,, but later I learned thi importance of  prioritizing  a balanced fitness routine, healthy diet, quality sleep, stress management, and targeted supplements, 

Let’s look at how do methylation markers, telomeres, and glycans contribute to our understanding of aging at a cellular level?

To understand how we age, we need to look at the science behind it—specifically, methylation, telomeres, and glycans.

Methylation markers are like switches that can turn genes on or off, impacting how our cells function. Telomeres, on the other hand, are protective caps at the end of our chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, these caps shorten, as they cant completely replicate each time a cell divides which leads to cell aging and eventual death.  Glycans play a crucial role in cellular communication and inflammation which can cause these molecules to stiffen, accelerating aging.

Chronic stress, obesity, smoking, and poor diet can all accelerate aging by causing telomere shortening and changes to your glycan composition. Your life story I call it or whether you accumulated stress, experienced any trauma, victimization, and your healthcare as a child or depression can also affect your biological age. 

So the goal is to slow the rate of telomere shortening and improve cell health with sleep, stress reduction, mental wellbeing,  fitness and diet.

I started my research on optimizing my body for peak performance as an athlete in my twenties then I began my longevity research back in 1995, reading about telomeres, blue zones and the anti-cancer diet after my grandmother died of breast cancer.

Before then I was diagnosed with PCOS and amenorrhea so I began further research on female biology and fertility when I struggled to conceive after getting married. . I had started my biohacking journey thirty years ago  before there was a name for it, following some of the same techniques and practices, supplements and  lifestyle changes as I do now..  Over the years I  essentially learned to biohack my reproductive system and delay my fertility, which in turn increased my health span and lifespan.   I’ve been able to completely reduce any inflammation, any visceral fat, increase my metabolic rate and improve my cardiovascular, immune and cellular health, and literally turn back the clock more than a decade.  I guess I embody the longevity lifestyle...

The most impactful factors on your biological age are intermittent fasting, your diet, supplements, exercise routine, sleep quality, mindset and stress management. 

Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods, engaging in regular physical activity, prioritizing restorative sleep, and practicing stress-reducing techniques like meditation or breathwork can all significantly slow down your biological aging process. 

Intermittent fasting and reducing your eating window to ideally 8 hours can also contribute immensely to cellular health and the anti-aging process. Intermittent fasting triggers a process called autophagy, where your body cleans out damaged cells and regenerates new ones. This helps slow down aging, reduce inflammation, and improve cellular health, making it a powerful tool for reversing biological age.

Quality sleep and stress management is also crucial for cellular repair and regeneration so you needa   good bedtime routine sleep in a cool dark room with no blue lights and phone on airplane mode!.   Engage in a variety of exercises and moderate anaerobic and aerobic activities like weightlifting, yoga or pilates.  Remember, the rest and recovery between workouts is vital for cellular repair.  Most athletes have elevated biological age compared to chronological age because of chronic inflammation, because they often don’t rest enough between their workouts. 

As for the medical checks - check hormones thyroid and cortisol, your lipid profile, cholesterol, blood pressure, and investigate any digestive issues, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and any allergies.

By the way, one of the big misconceptions about biohacking and a longevity lifestyle is you have to do it 100% of the time. I  try to keep to a good routine Monday to Friday implementing biohacking techniques and intermittent fasting.  Then on the weekends I enjoy a big breakfast, east whatever I want and enjoy an occasional glass of wine or margarita.  I’m with my kids all weekend so I cannot be worried about going to the gym or what I eat or be precious about my sleep either.  It's all about discipline but balance. You can tailor these actionable steps and strategies to suit your own lifestyle and a still make a profound impact on the health, wellbeing and longevity. 

It's important to note the gender differences in aging and the fact that men and women experience aging differently.

Men tend to have a more linear aging process as testosterone slowly declines, while women experience a more drastic shift after menopause with a rapid decline in all hormones,  women  are also more prone to stress and autoimmune issues because of our higher levels of antibodies. Our ovaries are also the fastest aging organ in the body so reproductive aging is inextricably linked to biological aging so women on average live longer than men but in worse health.

Before menopause women also have more glycans than men. These glycans protect cells, immune function and help fight inflammation, but after menopause they decrease significantly making women more susceptible to age-related diseases, increase in inflammation, as well as heart disease, osteoporosis, weight gain, reduced bone density, and mood swings and even cognitive decline. 

Female hormones Estrogen progesterone and testosterone all play a vital role in cellular health. Reproductive aging has a significant effect on your overall health and longevity.  Fertility starts declining significantly around 37 and menopause typically around 50.

To mitigate these effects, women can focus on hormone optimization through HRT or natural remedies such as adaptogenic herbs, a balanced diet rich in phytoestrogens, regular weight-bearing exercise, and stress management techniques,  all of which I discuss in more details in my episode Mastering Menopause,

Genetics do play a role in how we age, but they’re not the whole story.

Genetic predispositions can influence your aging process about 25%, but lifestyle choices have a significant impact on how your genes express themselves. Pregnancy can actually lower inflammation and positively affect biological age, but depression, smoking or drinking or other bad habits can cause accelerated biological aging.  

But if you make the right lifestyle modifications and make sustainable good lifestyle habits and preventative measures, even if you have a genetic predisposition to aging faster, you can override this through healthy lifestyle habits.

There are some fascinating scientific advancements you can use to slow down your aging. Let’s dive a bit more into those.

There's a rise in longevity research and the longevity of the biotech industry aiming to reverse cellular aging and find rejuvenation strategies, extend health plans and lifespan, and achieve biological rejuvenation.  

Cutting edge technologies, stem cell therapy and epigenetic research offer a new direction for treating age related diseases. They all show promise in the study of aging and the human quest to prolong life and restore health, but treatment options and pharmaceutical solutions still remain a challenge.

Stem cell therapy is a hot topic now. Its known as regenerative medicine and is used to repair damaged organs or diseases. They can repair and regenerate cells that damage your heart, kidney, joints, brain, vision, aging etc. 

This state of the art stem cell science is having profound implications for biological rejuvenation and society. They typically remove stem cells from the patient, culture them and reinject fresh stem cells that migrate to the injured areas to heal the damaged tissues replacing the aging part with new healthy cells. 

By age 65 stem cell production plummets and the cells remaining are old and weak so boosting stem cell numbers could be the secret to turning back the clock. 

It is not just for high paid athletes, I believe it will become more mainstream, but it is still unfortunately extremely expensive.

In the meantime there are foods you can eat that can influence stem cells.  Eating berries with polyphenols have a positive effect on your cellular functioning;  blueberries, raspberries and blackberries and supplements such as: grape seed extract, resveratrol, and sea buckthorn are strong antioxidants which have anti aging benefits and mobilize stem cells. 

Did you know that women who have children after the age of 40 are four times more likely to live to 100?

Researchers have also discovered that fetal cells remain in the mother’s body for up to 27 years after birth.. up to 6 percent of floating dna..these fetal cells can migrate through the placenta and can act as stem cells all over the mother's body during pregnancy and for decades later with  healing properties they migrate to damaged tissues to help repair them and protect against autoimmune disorders and reduce the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer so anti aging on a cellular level.

I have five children, plus 3 miscarriage and 2 D&C’s so i have the fetal cells of at least 8 pregnancies atm in my body..  Plus my twins were born in my fifties so with each year that increases my chance of living to100 or beyond...

All studies show that the older the maternal age the greater the odds of the mother surviving to unusually old age. So the odds of exceptional longevity are higher for me so I’m predicting about 120 realistically. So having twins in my fifties has contributed to my healthspan and my lifespan!

Reversing biological age is possible, but it requires consistent effort and a willingness to make lifestyle changes.

My advice for those looking to understand and reverse their biological age is - Take a holistic approach—focus on nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, and hormone optimization. 

Regularly monitor your biological markers through epigenetic testing and monitoring and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

Remember Knowledge is power. By understanding your biological age and making informed lifestyle choices, you can take control of your aging process and live a longer, healthier, and more vibrant life.

Thank you for tuning in to the Peak Vitality Podcast. Remember, age is just a number, and you have the power to influence how your body ages. Stay curious, stay committed, and take charge of your health journey. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, and stay tuned for more tips on living your most vibrant, youthful life. Until next time, keep biohacking your way to peak vitality!

Come join us on our next episode, when we’ll dive deeper into empowering women’s health topics.

And for those of you who want to take their health and longevity to the next level,you can take my Free Biohack Your Life Quiz to find out:

 - "Is your lifestyle adding years to your life—or taking them away? 

Reveal your Score in minutes with this quick and insightful quiz to  help you uncover your current lifestyle habits and reveal personalized biohacking tips to boost your health and vitality 

Remember, it’s never too late to step out of your comfort zone, rejuvenate your body reignite your vitality and reinvent the life you love

I’m Laura Comfort, and this has been a Peak Vitality Podcast. 

Let's step into a  future of vitality, resilience and boundless potential.

Stay tuned, stay empowered, and keep reaching for Peak Vitality. Until next time.