In this episode, Dr. Steve Horvath — a pioneer in the field of epigenetic ageing — explains how biological age can be measured using DNA methylation patterns. He discusses the development of epigenetic clocks like the Horvath Clock, PhenoAge, and GrimAge, and how they provide powerful tools to predict not only chronological ageing but also disease risk, healthspan, and longevity.

Key Points:

This episode dives into how epigenetic clocks can track biological ageing and predict health outcomes more accurately than age alone. Dr. Steve Horvath explains how tools like PhenoAge and GrimAge work and why they’re transforming longevity research. He also explores their potential for guiding interventions to extend healthspan and delay age-related disease.

• What Is an Epigenetic Clock?: Horvath’s clock measures biological age using DNA methylation — tiny chemical tags on our DNA.
• Introducing PhenoAge and GrimAge: These advanced clocks predict healthspan, mortality, and disease risk more accurately than earlier models.
• Biological Age vs. Chronological Age: Biological age can be faster or slower than your actual age — and it predicts your health better.
• Lifestyle Effects on Ageing: Smoking, poor diet, and stress can accelerate epigenetic ageing, while healthy habits may slow it down.
• Epigenetic Ageing and Disease: Faster ageing clocks are associated with higher risk for diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
• Potential for Reversibility: Early studies suggest that ageing signatures might be reversible through interventions like diet or reprogramming.
• Clocks in Clinical Trials: Epigenetic clocks are now used to test the effects of anti-ageing therapies in real-world studies.
• Consumer Test Limitations: Many at-home epigenetic age tests are unreliable; validated research-grade clocks remain the gold standard.