A new calculator for biological age from @SergeyVlasov
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If anyone wants the paper this is based on, I have sadly paid for it:
s42003-023-05456-z (1).pdf (1.4 MB)
This paper is also referenced by “Validation of biomarkers of aging”, might be interesting too:
s41591-023-02784-9.pdf (1.8 MB)
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Great to see this! Another tool in the toolbox. Big thanks to Sergey for taking his time to do this!
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What is your opinion of the test? It seems quite similar to the now defunct Aging.io test.
There are several questionable spreadsheet entries IMO.
One is the “High light scatter reticulocytes”.
The only test I could find for Quest or Labcorp doen’t mention “High light scatter”
and has two results. Which one should I enter?
I wouldn’t be a fan of the GGT test as there are too many variables affecting it and you probably would need to take it several times to get an average.
This is the same as the CRP test. Mine varies so widely from test to test, that I don’t trust it to be included in an epigenetic age calculation.
Drugs that can increase GGT level include:
Acetaminophen
Alcohol
Carbamazepine
Phenytoin
Phenobarbital
Drugs that can decrease GGT level include:
Birth control pills
Clofibrate
I am also having difficulty in finding a test for mean sphered cell volume (MSCV).
Is this a test that must be ordered by a doctor?
MCV is highly correlated to MSCV. I wonder how he came to the conclusion to use MSCV instead. Is it highly correlated to age? Doesn’t seem that important.
“Overall, while the normal MSCV shows a mild decline with aging, a significantly decreased MSCV can indicate underlying red blood cell abnormalities at any age.”
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@desertshores I am having similar difficulties but i am happy to have a new test to chew on. I am settling into the idea that I need to think in terms of direction rather than status…am I moving in the right direction, what do I need to work on, etc. It’s a Lustgarten approach (targets by ACM) but using a model provides a way to set priorities (which variables matter the most).
I don’t put much weight into the overall result since my average rate of aging won’t save me from my biggest deficit (whatever that turns out to be).
Separately, I’ve read that GGT is an important marker. The question is are the drugs influencing it hiding the real longevity status or changing the longevity status? I don’t know but I look forward to finding out.
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At least it comes on a standard blood panel (for me, anyway) so I won’t have any trouble getting several readings to average. We’ll see how it plays out over time but the study says it’s a statistical improvement over Levine. I still need to look into the new blood tests and how hard they are to get and how valuable they are.
And @Joseph_Lavelle , this is exactly my view! "I need to think in terms of direction rather than status…am I moving in the right direction, what do I need to work on, etc. It’s a Lustgarten approach (targets by ACM) but using a model provides a way to set priorities (which variables matter the most).
I don’t put much weight into the overall result since my average rate of aging won’t save me from my biggest deficit (whatever that turns out to be)."
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GGT levels start to increase around age 30 and plateau around age 50 in both men and women.
GGT levels tend to increase with age, reaching a plateau around age 50.
Normal GGT levels also correlate with body mass index (BMI), with higher normal ranges in those with higher BMIs.
I am already not a big fan of this “new” calculator.
He could have just as easily used BMI, which I think is underused in age calculators.
No need to use uncommon blood tests in age calculators IMO.
Levine and Aging.io certainly did not.
Not a big fan of DNA methylation measurements. Horvath as far as I know is based only on cell samples.
"The rate of ticking of the biological clock, as measured by the rates of change in DNA methylation, wasn’t constant. It was faster from birth to adulthood, and then slowed to a constant rate around the age of 20.
Horvath didn’t find evidence of a relationship with DNA methylation age in B cells (a type of white blood cell) from people with a premature aging disease (progeria)
So, for now, I will rely on the Levine-derived spreadsheet. Which is the main one Michael Lustgarten uses.
Epigenetic Clock Marks Age of Human Tissues and Cells | National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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What lab, what country?
I live in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico so I use Chopo, a chain of clinics in Mexico. They give me results within 24hrs of the blood draw.
https://www.chopo.com.mx/
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