Yale study: what slows biological aging and what doesn't
Yale researchers analyzing 51 clinical studies found that some prescription drugs and lifestyle changes lower biological age as measured by DNA-based blood tests, while over-the-counter supplements showed no such effect.
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine in the United States have identified which anti-aging approaches produce measurable changes in biological age, as assessed by DNA-based blood tests. The results were published in Nature Medicine. The work could help scientists evaluate anti-aging therapies more effectively, but the authors stress that shifts in biological age markers do not necessarily mean people will live longer or avoid age-related diseases.
How the study was done
The lead author is Raghav Sehgal, an associate research scientist in psychiatry, and the work was carried out in the laboratory of Albert Higgins-Chen, an assistant professor of psychiatry. The team pooled data from 51 clinical studies of various anti-aging strategies, including supplements, medications, lifestyle changes and medical procedures. They examined more than 110 DNA methylation biomarkers, among them 16 major epigenetic clocks. These tools read chemical tags called methyl groups on DNA and use algorithms to estimate biological age, which can differ from chronological age. The researchers compared measurements taken before and after each intervention.
Findings
Regular exercise combined with a healthy diet, including Mediterranean, low-fat and low-carb plans, consistently lowered epigenetic age. The strongest reductions in biological age markers were linked to metformin and semaglutide, prescription drugs used for metabolic conditions and body weight, and to anti-TNF therapies, which target a protein involved in the body's inflammatory response. Over-the-counter supplements and some medical procedures showed no measurable reduction in epigenetic age. Newer clocks performed better than older ones, and people with diseases generally showed larger changes than healthy participants.
What remains unknown
Sehgal said the next step is to test the findings in larger and more diverse populations. If the biomarkers are eventually validated as predictors of long-term health, therapies could be assessed within years or even months rather than decades. Higgins-Chen emphasized that the true meaning of the changes must be understood. It is still unclear whether treatments directly cause the changes, how fast they occur, whether they persist after treatment ends, and whether lowering epigenetic age improves long-term health.
