Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith discuss the family’s medical results on the talk show Red Table Talk (credit: Facebook).
In a recent episode of Red Table Talk, an online talk show on Facebook, it was revealed that actor Will Smith, whose real age is 52, has a biological (or telomere) age of 35. Meanwhile, his wife, actress Jada Pinkett, 49, was revealed to have the biological age of 46. (Check out the video here on Facebook at 13:27 in). The episode on the family’s medical results highlighted a trending area among celebrities, in particular, who want to know how well their bodies were aging compared to their chronological (actual) age.
Telomeres and How to Measure Biological Age
Recent advances in DNA analysis have made much of the current study of aging and telomeres possible. First, what is a telomere? Telomeres cap both ends of all of the 46 chromosomes in each cell. Though small, they play a big role in keeping our chromosomes and bodies healthy. Every time a cell divides (and as people get older), telomeres shorten progressively, hence one measure of biological age is to examine the length of the caps.
Unfortunately, a poor lifestyle can accelerate the shortening process. For example, sunlight, air pollution, smoking, or even inflammation and diet can damage cell components, including DNA. Those environmental factors generate unstable oxygen molecules (also known as “free radicals), which can damage the telomere caps.
So, you might come to the conclusion that the longer telomeres, the better. But that’s not always the case. According to molecular biologists Patricia Opresko of the University of Pittsburgh, and Elise Fouquerel, of Thomas Jefferson University, telomere length can provide information about biological age, but it may not give the full picture just yet. For example, they write, some individuals with the longer chromosomal caps may be at greater risk for cancer: “Individuals with gene mutations that lead to very long telomeres above the 99th percentile are at greater risk for developing inherited forms of melanoma and brain cancers. Longer telomeres allow a cell to divide more times, and with every division there is a chance that an error during genome duplication produces a mutation that promotes cancer.” The upshot according them: It’s the Goldilocks principle: “Telomeres that are too short or too long are not optimal.”
Why Your Biological and Functional Ages Matter
So where does this leave you, as a patient or someone concerned about your health? Your biological age matters because, after all, it’s not how old you are chronologically, but how body actually ages. If you do get a biological age test, that’s great. But you should also ask your doctor about a functional age test that can measure your actual functional capability indexed by age-normed standards. The great part about functional age tests is that they are noninvasive. Typically, older adults, in particular, are analyzed in areas such as memory, reactions, hearing, agility, decision speed, movement speed, and lung function. Functional age tests can validate the results of biological age tests. But even more than biological age tests, (because they are noninvasive) they can help you more practically understand progress toward health and fitness goals. That’s why fitness centers, medical practices and research labs employ them.
The AgeMeter® Functional Age Test and Covid-19
The AgeMeter® calculates functional age by testing physiological biomarkers that decline with age. With the new HealthMeter™ kit, AgeMeter can also analyze 16 physiological Covid-19 risk factors and indicators, as well. The AgeMeter can be used by hospital systems, medical practices, universities, fitness centers, and individuals interested in warding off the effects of aging. It will:
Validate aging reversal / anti-aging therapies for healthcare practices, researchers, fitness programs, and consumers.
Validate the results of biological age tests.
Test numerous functional biomarkers of aging, including memory, reaction time, hearing, agility, decision speed, and lung function.
Screen for Covid-19 risk factors and indicators.
Learn more about how functional age testing works or order your AgeMeter today.