Active People Score Slightly Younger on Two DNA Aging Clocks
Graded Moderate — an analysis of 44 studies with over 145,000 people, but the pooled numbers come from just seven studies that measured people only once.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Participants
- 145,465
- Duration
- —
- Funding
- National University of Singapore; National Medical Research Council of Singapore
More active people had a slightly lower biological age on two of four DNA-based aging clocks.
Physical activity lowers the risk of dying early and of many age-related diseases. What was less clear is whether it also shows up in biological age. That age is estimated with so-called epigenetic clocks, which read chemical tags on our DNA. A large analysis now finds that people who moved more scored somewhat younger on two of these clocks.
The researchers searched six scientific databases and found 44 suitable studies with 145,465 adults in total. Average ages ranged from 24 to 78 years across studies. Overall, more active people tended to have a lower biological age, though many single results were not clear-cut. Seven studies could be pooled into one calculation. There, more activity went along with lower readings on the Horvath clock and the GrimAge clock. Two other clocks showed no clear link.
The differences were small. All seven pooled studies also measured people only once, at a single point in time. So the data cannot tell whether more exercise actually lowers biological age. The authors call for long-term studies and trials that measure activity precisely.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: One author sits on the scientific board of a biomarker consortium and co-founded a longevity clinic in Singapore.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.