BIOLOGICAL VS CHRONOLOGICAL AGE

The old rusty Nail

AN E-JOURNAL FOR OLD PEOPLE

Russell Burton, an Old Person

I ran across a news article the other day noting that biological age may have something to do with a longer-life span.  Many articles ago in this blog I wrote about the importance of biological age as a better measure of age than simply ‘years of age’.  Certainly, we see people of the same age who look much older or younger than their real age and I suspect that their looks are a good indicator of their biological age. Interestingly, we always compliment a person on how young they look, never how much older a person looks than their chronological age. I guess this is an intuitive sign that aging is not a good thing.

In this regard, age is welcomed at a young age but not so when we get older. In my late teens I would use a fake ID which showed me to be older to get into a bar to buy a drink or a pack of cigarettes. Now, when someone tells me that I do not look like I am 83 well 83 and a half, I smile for I take it is as a complement.  And, I let them know that I not just 83 but I am getting closer to 84!

When I was a young boy I was always pleased to be considered older than my chronological age older because I was small for my age until I was 15 years old and I wanted to be a young man. Like now, I was not just 6, I was 6 and a half. You know more like a man.

Now, this news article mentions ‘looks’ as a criterion of biological aging but then sites a couple of university studies one which seriously measured this type of aging using several physiologic, physical and anatomic parameters plus cognition.  One-thousand subjects were involved in one of these studies with surprising results. When the group reached 38 years of age their biological ages ranged from 30 to nearly 60 years.  What is meant by ‘nearly 60’ was not explained.

Of particular interest to me were those physical activities which I have not found to be somewhat challenging in my 80s were showing up already in some of those subjects who were only 38 years of age! These were called ‘basic tasks’ such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries. I would assume that their balance had also deteriorated some which I find at times difficult for me to handle.

Now the study found that cognition was negatively affected in those people who had aged more rapidly which was assumed to be a normal result of aging.  I certainly disagree with that assumption as I have noted in previous blogs. Of course, I agree with some of their other findings for I am experiencing them in my aging process but not any loss of cognition.  In regard to physical aging, I recently read of a woman who is 90 having just completed a marathon race. I suppose she thinks that physical problems are not a natural aging process. Of course, she will eventually have these physical problems but at a much older age.

This article concludes by suggesting that previous studies on aging had used older people beginning with the age of 50 whereas this aging process begins at a much younger age.  I agree with that assumption but then it was suggested that by determining a faster aging process in younger people that would allow for ‘…prevention of age-related diseases, opening a new door for anti aging therapies’.  Unfortunately, no anti aging therapies were identified. Of course, this aspect had to be considered for the writers to show somehow that their findings could affect life span.

The conclusion also suggested that by determining the biological age of an individual their level of health would be measured with a single number. This number might be used to assess the health of a community.  I don’t believe that this idea will catch on.  You know having a 38 year old woman accept her age as 60. 

Certainly applying anti aging therapies at a younger age would make them more effective but what exactly are these therapies?  I would guess that one of them includes ‘working out’ at a gym.  I do that which I have written about previously and I think it has helped me physically and my muscle mass has remained pretty much intact. My chest muscles, you know my ‘pecks’ are still visible.

Besides lifting weights I do my stretching exercise which I find helpful in putting on my socks and shoes. Twice a week at the gym, I get on the stationary bike and pedal for 30 minutes as my aerobic exercise.  It lets me know that I have just pedaled over 5 miles which of course is a lie for I have not moved one inch.

As I mentioned balance is a problem which I find at times troubling and it seems to be progressing more rapidly than I expected.  I understand that this malady is because the sensory aspects of the soles of my feet are wearing out. I do agree with that take on it for I find wearing thin sole shoes helps me with balance.  And, walking on a hard surface allows me more freedom of balance than walking on a thick carpet.

Now, I do have more difficulty going on walks than I did a few years ago and with some pain especially in my hip area.  This pain is annoying but not debilitating.  Still, pain makes walking less fun so I do it less often and for shorter distances.  So, it is important to challenge these aging problems with more walking such as parking further away from the grocery store entrance. Of course, this is not natural for most everyone tries to park as close as possible. Even parking at the gym finds most cars as close as possible to the front door.  How strange…

I am now, for the summer of 2015 living in my condo on Lake Erie in Western New York where I attend the summer session of the Chautauqua program.  This activity requires considerable walking which is good for me. I suppose each day I go there I walk about 2 miles.  Now sometimes I catch a bus from the parking lot to the Grounds which shortens my walk by half.  I use to wave the bus driver off when he stopped to pick me up but sometimes if I am hurting I accept the ride. When I do this I remember my uncle who would visit me here a few years ago.  He is ten years older than I. After a few yearly visits he declined my invitation noting that he was holding me back in our walks from the parking lot. Of course, in reality the walk hurt him too much. I did not understand then but I do now.

The science I reported on was not as informative as I would have liked it to be for I wanted to learn more about this biological aspects of this aging process I am now experiencing.  You know, let me in on some secrets on how I can do it better. Regarding the faster biological aging process nothing was noted regarding aging habits which we all know affects aging such as smoking tobacco. It is well known that smoking causes a drying of the skin which results in more wrinkles especially on the face. And, exposure of skin to the sun can cause more wrinkling.

The study cited did not mentioned if it had controlled for these things nor did it get into sleep and work habits all of which I think would have some effect on aging.  And, what about nutrition although I think diet is over played in aging; you know paying more for ‘organic foods’.

As a scientist I would have thought this study would have controlled for some of these parameters. So, this study really raised more questions than answers. In that regard, I was disappointed in it but it did reinforce my thoughts on this subject for I am sure we all have been shocked how old someone appeared when we hadn’t seen that person for a few years.  And, how little some people have aged; you know, ‘You haven’t aged a day since I saw you last!’

On the other hand, we never say even though we think ‘Oh my god how old you look what happened? Have you been sick or something?” You know looking old suggests that being sick had something to do with it. Yep, people do not want to look older that they are except when they were young kids wanting to grow up to be more like dad and mom.

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