Chris Shugart
How to Slow Biological Aging
There’s a big difference between chronological and biological age. Check out this new research on slowing the biological clock for a longer, healthier life.
Jason and Steve are both 50 years old, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at them. If you had to guess, you’d say Jason is around 40. And Steve? Well, you’d say that poor schmuck is pushing 60.
This is the difference between chronological and biological age. Jason and Steve are 50 years old chronologically, but Jason is biologically closer to 40, and Steven is closer to 60. “Young” Jason will live a longer, healthier life than “old” Steve. And it’s not just about their looks. At the molecular/cellular level, Jason is younger. Meanwhile, Steve’s cells and systems are wearing out faster.
How do we know? Via DNA methylation clocks, which hit the scene around 2013. DNAm clocks are epigenetic tools used to measure biological aging by tracking chemical changes – specifically the addition of methyl groups to DNA – at certain sites in the genome, which shift predictably with age. Generally, you want slow methylation shifts, suggesting a reduced pace of biological aging.
Okay, How Do We Slow the Clock?
The obvious stuff is obvious:
- Exercise: Cardio and strength training boost cellular repair and reduce oxidative stress.
- Sleep well and avoid stress: Adequate sleep and stress management help regulate cortisol and protect telomeres, key aging markers.
- Don’t smoke and stop being fat: Smokers age biologically about 5 years faster. And the fatter you are, the faster you biologically age – about 1-3 years faster per decade if you’re overweight and 3-7 years faster per decade if you’re obese. That accelerated aging is due to the usual culprits: chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress.
The New Study
This Swiss study shows us what we can do nutritionally to slow the death clock. Here’s a short and sweet summary:
Researchers tracked 777 older adults (70+) for 3 years and looked at their DNA regularly. Some took fish oil supplements (1 g/day), others took vitamin D supplements (2,000 IU/day), and some used a simple at-home exercise plan. Part of the group took both of the supps and exercised. The researchers measured biological aging using four DNA methylation clocks.
In a nutshell, biological aging was slowed by approximately 3-4 months across the groups receiving these interventions, as measured from baseline to year 3. The fish oil had the biggest effect, and the researchers think this was primarily due to its DHA content.
Is that impressive? Heck yeah, it is! Let’s use some real-life numbers:
- Without fish oil, vitamin D, and exercise, a 50-year-old healthy man would be 53 after 36 months. (Duh.) With the supplements and exercise, he’d still be chronologically 53, but biologically, he’d be 52 and 8 months. Cellularly, he’s aged 4 months slower.
- Now, let’s multiply that out. Every 10 years, a person using the healthy interventions (fish oil, vitamin D, and exercise) would age biologically about 1 year and 1 month slower than his peers without the interventions.
But Wait! The Researchers Used Puny Interventions!
They did, but the results are still impressive. Remember, the participants in the study were in their 70s. Their exercise plan was basically bodyweight movements performed three times a week for half an hour. That’s fine for them, but we can assume the average T Nation fan is training harder than that, which could further slow biological aging.
As for the supplement interventions, the researchers used only 1 gram of fish oil per day. Most successful fish oil studies use far more. Also, the fish oil provided was standard stuff and not DHA-enriched. Could 4 grams of DHA-enhanced fish oil further slow biological aging? Related research suggests it could.
The participants in the study also took 2,000 IU/day of standard vitamin D, which is an okay amount. The only problem? The older you get, the harder it becomes to absorb standard vitamin D supplements, and this begins in your 40s. Could a high amount of microencapsulated vitamin D (the most bioavailable form) have further slowed biological aging? Most likely.
How to Use This Info
Keep training, take fish oil and vitamin D, and don’t wait until you’re 70. The earlier you start, the “younger” you’ll be.
Take 4.2 grams of DHA-heavy fish oil daily. That’s three softgels of Flameout DHA-Rich Fish Oil (Buy at Amazon).
For vitamin D, use the microencapsulated variety. Take one softgel of D Fix High Absorption Vitamin D (Buy at Amazon) daily to get 5000 IU.
Reference
- Bischoff-Ferrari, H.A., Gängler, S., Wieczorek, M. et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nat Aging (2025).
