DEAR DOCTORS: What does the term “biological age” refer to? How do you go about figuring out what your biological age is? I will turn 80 at the end of the year, am physically active and I eat a vegetarian diet. Is there anything else I should be doing to get “younger”?
DEAR READER: When you say you will be turning 80 later this year, you are referring to your chronological age. That’s a straightforward measure of how many years someone has been alive.
Biological age, by contrast, is a concept that looks at a diverse range of physiological factors to determine someone’s potential lifespan and the likelihood of their developing an age-related illness. Based on these findings, someone may turn out to be older or younger than their chronological age says they are.
There is no universal formula for determining biological age. However, a core group of metrics are typically…
