Chronological versus Biological Aging

In Longevity Medicine, we often divide the concept of “age” into two categories: chronological age and biological age.

Chronological age is how we normally think of aging. Your chronological age is the number of years that have passed from the time you were born until now. We think of ourselves in terms of chronological age, as in, “I am [X] years old”.

Biological age is different. Rather than referring to the amount of time elapsed since birth, biological age is measured by the damage incurred by our cells and how our bodies function. Our biological age can be measured as “older” or “younger” than our chronological age depending on the health of our cells. This measurement reflects factors like lifestyle, genetics, disease and others.

Physicians look at biomarkers (short for “biological markers”) as a measure of what’s happening in the body. Biomarkers can include things like blood pressure, body mass and organ functioning. These give us a biological age and indicate the health of our bodies and cells. These are important for identifying current and potential health issues.

Longevity Medicine focuses on helping you achieve a biological age that is younger than your chronological age. As Dr. Meek, our Medical Director for Executive Health and Longevity Assessments and Programs states, “The goal of Longevity Medicine is to help you age better. Not just disease free, but stronger, faster and healthier.”

To lean more about WELL’s Longevity+ program and assessments, contact us at info@WELLlongevity.ca or call us at 604.628.2822