HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

Obviously, the experts aren’t suggesting you can be 45 with the biological age of a 25-year-old. ‘That isn’t realistic, but having a biological age that’s two or three years below your chronological age means you’re ageing at a slower rate, which could increase the number of years you remain in good health,’ says Dr Siow. ‘So any decrease in your biological age will be beneficial to your health and lifespan.’ Here’s what the latest science suggests you try…

1 MOVE THE TIMES YOU EAT – AND CUT CALORIES

When it comes to longevity, calorie restriction seems to slow the pace of ageing and improve our cardiometabolic profile (which determines our risk factor for cardiovascular disease and metabolic issues). Last year, a study published in the journal Nature Aging found that healthy adults who cut calories by a quarter slowed their biological age by 2-3%, which translates into a 10-15% reduction in the likelihood of dying early. But cutting calories long-term isn’t easy. ‘Most people find it difficult to sustain weight loss beyond a year and constantly practising some form of calorie restriction could be problematic,’ explains registered nutritionist and author of The Vegetarian Athlete’s Cookbook Anita Bean. ‘But it’s important to keep body fat levels at a healthy level – excess body fat increases inflammation and this underlies many age-related conditions, such as heart disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.’

One option to make this more achievable is simply to move breakfast to later in the morning, so you fast for 14 hours and eat during a 10-hour window – something that’s known as time-restricted eating. This has been shown to have anti-ageing benefits in animal studies, while in a three-month American trial, people who ate during a 10-hour window shed abdominal fat and improved their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The theory with timerestricted eating is that by having less time to eat, you automatically incur a calorie reduction. It’s also believed that it minimises the time your body spends on digestion, maximises the time for repair and maintenance, and keeps your blood sugar more stable (one of the markers of biological ageing).

‘When it comes to slowing ageing, it’s not clear whether calorie intake is really important or having a period of fasting matters more,’ says Anita. ‘Whichever you choose, ensure you eat high-quality, nutrition-rich foods that will keep you fit and healthy, such as a Mediterranean-style diet based on fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and fish. Also, plant diversity is really important – aim to eat at least 30 different plants a week.’

2 GET OUT EVERY DAY – AND WALK FASTER

Researchers from the University of Leicester – who studied genetic data from 405,981 people – found that a lifetime of walking faster in everyday life, over 3-4mph, could help you be the equivalent of 16 years younger by midlife. The reason? Those with a faster walking pace tended to have longer

Ensure you eat high-quality, nutrition-rich foods

telomeres – protective caps on the end of each chromosome – which are another biological age marker. The researchers also noted that walking is good for your muscles, bones, heart and lungs, as well as thinking skills and mental health.

Even better, you don’t have to up the pace all the time. In one of the largest studies of its kind, experts at Cambridge University found that an 11-minute brisk walk every day could help prevent one in 10 premature deaths worldwide.

3 SLEEP LIKE GOLDILOCKS – AND DON’T HAVE LIE-INS

Both too little and too much sleep have been linked to an increased risk of biological ageing, according to research published last year in the journal Sleep. More than 300,000 people filled out sleep behaviour questionnaires, with the results showing short sleepers have a 7% higher risk of biological ageing and long sleepers an 18% higher risk than normal sleepers who snoozed between six and eight hours a day.

The reason? Poor sleep is associated with shorter telomeres, and it’s sleep consistency that seems to be even more important. Sticking to a fixed sleep schedule lowers the risk of chronic diseases and DNA damage. The recommendation is to sleep at least seven hours, but not more than nine, a night, as that’s when your sleeping times could become inconsistent.

‘It’s the amount of core sleep we get that’s important,’ explains sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan (drnerina.com). ‘It’s vital to have six to seven hours, and nice to have an additional hour or so, but any longer and you get into oversleeping territory.’

To achieve the right balance, stick to a regular sleep/wake pattern. However, evidence suggests it’s good to rise early, around 7am – or earlier if that works for you. ‘This will get you the natural light you need to optimise your internal body clock,’ says Dr Ramlakhan. ‘Also, avoid weekend lie-ins. Oversleeping at the weekend is the equivalent of junk food and can disrupt your sleep cycle for the rest of the week, so you’re better off getting up at your normal weekday time.’

4 DODGE POLLUTION – AND AIR YOUR HOME

There’s growing evidence that environmental factors such as air pollution may have a far greater impact on how we age than previously thought and could be linked to cardiovascular deterioration, dementia and diabetes. Why? Because pollution can increase inflammation in our bodies, which we know accelerates biological ageing. ‘Whether it’s air, noise or nutritional pollution, anything going into your body that it wasn’t designed to receive is known to cause damage across most of the biological ageing markers,’ explains Dr Julia Jones.

‘Just being aware of pollution and its ageing effects is a powerful tool,’ she adds. ‘For instance, try to walk along quieter roads, and avoid running or walking next to busy roads when you’re breathing very deeply so you’re not pulling high levels of pollution into your lungs.’

Think about indoor air quality, too. Volatile organic compounds (VOCS) are found in all manner of products, including air fresheners, detergents, deodorants, perfumes, carpet and oven cleaners, and paints. To combat poor internal air quality, open windows for 15 minutes a day to help remove polluting particles. Good ventilation is also important when you’re decorating or cleaning. Live near a busy road? Open your windows at times when the traffic is lightest. You might also want to limit the number of cleaning products you use, and consider investing in an air purifier to remove pollutants from the air.

Be aware of pollution and its ageing effects