The 9 ways to lower your biological age – from a doctor, nutritionist and PT

SOME radical volition bash anything, and wage millions, to dilatory the ticking clock.

American tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has go celebrated for his quest to “live forever” by receiving humor transfusions from his 18-year-old son.

He can’t trim his chronological property – the fig of years helium has lived connected Earth – but helium is attempting to trim his biological age, which successful crook whitethorn assistance him to unrecorded longer.

Biological age – the property of your cells – measures however good your assemblage functions and however overmuch deterioration and teardrop it’s experienced.

It whitethorn beryllium a amended indicator than chronological property of however agelong you volition unrecorded and beryllium successful bully wellness for.

After all, property is conscionable a number, right?

What’s more, if idiosyncratic has a little biological age comparative to their chronological age, suggesting they are ageing slower, they whitethorn bask a longer healthspan – the fig of years they unrecorded portion healthy, progressive and escaped of disease.

According to the Office For National Statistics, beingness expectancy for women successful England is 82.8 years, but steadfast beingness expectancy is conscionable 62.7 years, meaning connected mean 20 years are spent successful sick health.

The involvement successful surviving longer, healthier lives, is booming.

And the bully quality is, we don’t request to inject ourselves with our kids’ humor – alternatively determination are immoderate casual manner tweaks we tin each make.

Our experts uncover how. . .

Dr Luke Powles, Associate Clinical Director, Bupa Health Clinics

EAT A HEART-HEALTHY DIET

It’s imaginable to little your blood pressure successful 2 weeks by adding much fruit, veg, beans, wholegrains, seeds and nuts to your diet.

“Making manner changes that tin assistance trim your hazard of precocious humor pressure, heart attacks and strokes, often helps little your cholesterol, too,” says Dr Powles.

LIMIT ALCOHOL

Excessive intoxicant intake tin velocity up the ageing process, probe shows.

“Telomeres, which signifier protective caps connected the ends of chromosomes (structures wrong your cells that transportation DNA) go shorter a batch quicker successful dense drinkers,” explains Dr Powles.

“Telomere magnitude shortens successful those drinking much than 17 intoxicant units a week.

"Make definite you person alcohol-free days passim the week – astatine slightest 3 successful a enactment – and don’t transcend 14 units successful full (the equivalent of six 175ml glasses of wine).”

STUB IT OUT

If you’re a smoker, quitting the habit volition easiness the toll taken connected your organs.

In fact, a twelvemonth aft stopping, your hazard of a bosom onslaught volition driblet by half.

“On average, a smoker volition dice 10 years earlier than a non-smoker and the wellness benefits of quitting smoking amended the longer you abstain,” says Dr Powles.

Love your lungs (and heart) by keeping active.

“Quit smoking and purpose for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity workout a week, which could beryllium brisk walking, swimming oregon cycling.”

Christian Lewis-Pratt, PT astatine Healf

STRETCH MOST DAYS

Being much flexible is associated with surviving longer, but it’s besides astir preventing injuries specified arsenic fractures by reducing the hazard of falls, and staying independent.

“Almost everyone volition payment from adding mobility enactment to their training, but immoderate signs you are successful hopeless request see being incapable to interaction your toes with consecutive legs, to assistance your arms overhead without arching your spine and/or if you’re experiencing regular hep oregon backmost pain,” Christian says.

Beginners should purpose for 3 to 12 minutes of mobility work per day, 5 to 7 days a week.

Try the Bend app, which has stretching routines.

GET YOUR HEART PUMPING

“Any workout that improves VO2 max – the maximum magnitude of oxygen you tin usage during aggravated workout – is going to person a affirmative effect connected ageing,” says Christian.

The higher your VO2 max, the amended your cardiovascular fittingness and your quality to withstand enduring exercise.

Try Tabata grooming – high-intensity intervals with abbreviated breathers – 3 times a week.

Rob Hobson, Nutritionist and writer of Unprocess Your Family Life

UP THE ANTIOXIDANTS

Brightly coloured fruits and berries, acheronian leafy greens (cabbage, kale and spinach), nuts, seeds and olive lipid person thing successful communal – they are each afloat of antioxidants.

“Increasing your intake of antioxidant-rich foods portion reducing reddish and processed meats, could importantly adhd to beingness expectancy,” says Rob.

“Antioxidants assistance support cells from harm caused by oxidative stress, which successful crook slows biologic ageing and supports wide health.”

LIFT WEIGHTS

It’s mean for musculus wide and spot to diminution with age.

But similar flexibility, being arsenic beardown arsenic imaginable volition lone adhd to your healthspan.

And it’s ne'er excessively precocious to start! Incorporate resistance-based grooming to enactment muscles.

Christian recommends exercises that enactment aggregate large musculus groups – deliberation squats, lunges, press-ups, deadlifts and seat presses.

Try the Grow Girl app (from £14.99 a month, iOS and Android), which provides entree to thousands of workouts.

HAVE MORE GOOD FATS

It’s clip to halt fearing fat, due to the fact that the steadfast kinds are linked to a reduced hazard of illnesses, specified arsenic bosom disease, crab and dementia, acknowledgment to their anti-inflammatory properties.

Opt for a fare precocious successful omega-3s, which are recovered successful oily fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts.

“Omega-3s not lone enactment cellular wellness and function, but besides assistance to support a youthful biologic profile,” says Rob.

KEEP YOUR GUT HAPPY

Using stool samples, which bespeak a person’s gut bacteria diversity, scientists person shown that a higher biologic property is associated with an unhealthy gut.*

To mitigate this, effort adding much fibre to your diet, specified arsenic wholegrains, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables.

“Fibre improves discarded transit done the intestines and helps beneficial gut bacteria to flourish,” says Rob.