- Chronological age measures the time that has passed since someone’s birth.
- Biological age estimates how old someone’s body is by examining several biomarkers.
- Data from a recent study found that high biological age may raise the risk for certain neurological conditions, including all-cause dementia and ischemic stroke.
Biological age helps to measure how fast someone’s body systems are aging. Biological age may differ from someone’s chronological age.
Researchers are still seeking to understand the benefits of calculating biological age, including how it can identify risk for certain health conditions.
A recent study published in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry examined how biological age increased the risk for specific neurological problems.
Researchers found that advanced biological age was associated with an increased risk for all-cause dementia, vascular dementia, and ischemic stroke.
They also found weak positive associations between advanced biological age and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and motor neuron disease (MND). The results indicate the importance of monitoring biological age and furthering research into improving biological age.
Biological age and chronological age measure slightly different components related to aging.
Biological age has to do more with how a person’s body is aging. Chronological age is the amount of time that has passed since someone’s birth, as researchers of this study note.
Non-study author Dr. Sandra Narayanan, board certified vascular neurologist and neuro-interventional surgeon at Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, explained to Medical News Today:
“Chronological age is time since birth and is measured in absolute terms (i.e., years). Biological age describes the more subtle…
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