Turn BACK the Clock on Your Biological Age
You can’t change your age, but you CAN impact how well you’re aging.
We all know people who “look good for their age”—maybe that person is you!
Factors like diet and exercise play a vital role in staying youthful.
But researchers have just identified another major factor that impacts how “young” you are on the inside.
Lucky for us, it’s something we can control.
Researchers used an AI-enabled electrocardiogram to estimate the biological age of 280,000 adults.
Biological age is the rate at which your cells are aging. This is different from chronological age, which is the number of years someone has been alive.
Your biological age is a determination of how well you’re aging.
The researchers also gave the volunteers a score based on their social isolation.
This was calculated using factors like…
- how often they participated in social activities,
- the frequency of phone conversations,
- whether or not they regularly attended church,
- their marital status,
- and whether they belonged to a club.
When they combined the two figures, it became clear that social isolation accelerates biological aging and increases mortality risk.
This is not an entirely surprising finding. Research has consistently shown that strong social connections are linked to a longer life.
But in many ways, it is good news. Because while you might not be able to affect your genes or upbringing, you CAN impact your social life.
The more you fill your life with rich, meaningful relationships and connections, the fuller and longer you live to experience them.
Try joining a local club, picking up a new social hobby, taking a class, or checking out your local church.
Anything from playing cards with your neighbors to volunteering at a local soup kitchen will do the trick. The key is to get out and interact.
P.S. Nothing has a bigger impact on how you age than your lifestyle. And I don’t just mean diet and exercise. Beware of THIS common habit that can trigger dementia.
SOURCE:
Rajai, N., et al. (2024). Association Between Social Isolation With Age-Gap Determined by Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Electrocardiography. JACC: Advances. doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.100890.
