EP 19 | Unlock the Secrets of Aging

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what biological age is compared to chronological age, because I don't think that people really understand that there's a difference between the time we've been on the planet versus how our cells are aging.

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Right, I mean the fastest way to understand.

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That is like the twin studies of one who smokes and one who doesn't.

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Right, I think we can easily.

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We can see the aging, but what we can't see is what's happening on the inside.

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So we have our chronological age, you know minus 56.

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But then we have different ways to measure our biological age.

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So we have what is it?

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12 different hallmarks of aging.

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So really theoretically, I suppose you could have over 12 different ways to measure that.

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So there's just a multitude of things that we're measuring or not me I am not in that but that they're measuring when we're looking at biological age.

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So different tests are measuring different things, and so every test can give you a different biological age in theory.

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Okay, so basically, what I hear you saying is that our genetics do not determine how quickly we age.

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Correct.

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Yes, so let's talk about one of the age marking, one of the age tests DNA methylation right, so we're looking at we the scientists because I am not this is way above my pay grade, so I'm only going to explain it the way I, as a little engineer, can understand it.

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But you know, we've got our DNA methylation or these, like basically these guards that almost stand sentry over your DNA and they're sort of saying okay, you know, this genetic trait is going to stay turned off and this, you know good genetic trait is going to stay turned on.

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So, like, imagine a baby who's got the ApoE4 gene.

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Well, they're not going to develop Alzheimer's as a baby because their DNA methylation is working to keep that DNA functioning in a very healthy way.

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So we can manipulate that DNA methylation as we age.

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And so what happens as you get older?

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That DNA methylation based on how you live your life, so how you play the piano almost right, like the, I suppose, like your genetics is the piano you've been given.

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But how you decide to play that piano, how fast you play that song, how hard you play that song or how softly, like that's going to determine how that DNA methylation ages.

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I mean, that's just one biomarker, of course.

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There's, you know, a bunch of different ways to measure your biological age.

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I mean there's physical ways, right.

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There's your grip strength.

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There's just so many different ways that we age and there's no one.

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Like I said, there's no one hallmark of aging, although they all are linked together, right?

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So I mean, if your DNA methylation starts getting wonky, well then other things are going to get wonky and your organ ages.

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You know, different organs are going to age.

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I mean, it's all.

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It all ties together.

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But yet we can, because we're, you know, humans.

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We have to kind of look at it systematically and in different ways.

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Yeah so okay.

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So to translate that basically when I was in medical school we were taught like oh, you'll know more than me yeah, but you actually practice it you actually practice it and you've made a difference by over 20 years.

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So you just mentioned you were 56 years old and your tested biological age has been what?

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36?

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36.

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36 years old right.

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So I want to get into that further, but I want to just break it down for everyone listening that we have this ageism.

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I call it ageism because people want to put people in certain categories depending on our chronological age.

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What really happens is our biological age is more of a determinant to our health span, and that we do have control over it.

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As you mentioned, in the twin studies, one twin will age.

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An identical twin will age at a very different rate than another identical twin.

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So, even though they've been on the earth the same amount of time, they're aging at a very different pace.

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And I think this is the coolest thing in the world, because that's what gives us agency over our life, like we don't have to just give up and surrender to time.

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We have control through little choices that we make, and it doesn't have to be the billionaires that have this.

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It's tangible for everyone.