How old does your body think you are? Being overweight, a poor diet and a toxic lifestyle can make you older than your years and decrease your potential lifespan. But how can you know your true biological age – your age at the deepest level? If you could find out, would it make a difference? The Biggest Loser Club explains how to beat the biological clock.
The BioAge Test and the Biggest Losers
One of the health assessments given to contestants on The Biggest Loser early in their stay in the house is a ‘BioAge’ test. This lets them see the toll on their bodily systems of being obese. The results can be shocking. Leigh Westren, this year’s runner-up, was 23 when he entered the house. His first BioAge test showed him to be 34. “I laughed it off,” he said to The Biggest Loser Club. “But I soon realised the seriousness of being more than 10 years older than my chronological age. I needed to change."
Leigh struggled at first with the physical demands of being a Biggest Loser contestant. “I couldn’t deal with it. I wanted to lose weight by eating healthily, and that was all,” he said. “But the results of the test motivated me to take the training more seriously.”
Later in the series, the test was administered again, and the turnaround was dramatic. This time Leigh was relieved to discover he had reduced his bio age to 18, specifically because he had improved his cardiovascular capacity as a result of all his tough training. “It was an amazing moment,” he said.
The BioAge test
Paul Taylor is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist who is also Adjunct Professor of Functional Science at the University of San Francisco. Among his many achievements is developing the BioAge test. “It presents important health information in a meaningful manner,” he said to The Biggest Loser Club. “Finding out your cholesterol results is not as much a slap to the frontal lobes as discovering your body is 50 while you are 33.”
The comprehensive test measures 3 key areas:
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metabolic function (ie blood pressure, levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood, BMI)
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physical capability (ie body composition, lung function, flexibility, core endurance)
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healthy behaviours (ie smoking, alcohol consumption, stress management, eating habits, sleep)
The test results are then run through a software program to give a biological age. “The final number gets you if you’re good or bad,” he said. “A poor result can deliver a shove in the right direction towards making significant changes, while a good result is an empowering reward.”
Where can I be tested?
If you live in Melbourne, you can take the full test at Paul’s training gym, Acumotum.
Elsewhere, Fitness First gyms throughout the country offer a BioAge assessment based on Paul’s system to their members for free. According to Mick Cunico, NSW Fitness Manager, this practical assessment provides you with a useful starting point to focus your training on turning back the clock.
The assessment also measures metabolic, physical and lifestyle factors. It involves taking your blood pressure and measuring your height and weight and comparing these against the average for your age. It also measures lung capacity, strength and flexibility, and assesses your lifestyle and behaviours through a series of questionnaires. The assessment is administered by a qualified personal trainer who understands the implications of the results, and who can advise you on what to do next to improve your areas of weakness.
VLA testing
Not a member of Fitness First but still keen to discover if you’re old before your time? The Cellular Vitality & Longevity Assessment is a service offered by some naturopaths. It uses measurable and objective biomarkers to assess your health deep down in your cells. The biomarkers are key physiological indicators of ageing and include:
- body fat/muscle mass
- metabolic rate
- cellular toxicity
- hydration levels
These measurements are read by a Bio-Impedance Analyser, which applies a low level alternating current through the body via electrodes on the hands and feet to see how it resists and reacts with the current. This reveals imbalances in the body’s electro-conductive properties, and highlights problem areas. The nutritionist can work out your cellular age from the results of the test and, again, will advise you on steps you can take to boost cellular vitality and add life to your years.
Being overweight accelerates ageing
Dr Norman Swan is the resident medical expert on The Biggest Loser and a respected television and radio broadcaster. He told The Biggest Loser Club that there are limits to the accuracy of these types of test. “Ultimately, they can only provide a calculated guess on your biological age,” he said.
Nonetheless, there is increasing evidence that being overweight accelerates ageing and that losing weight is essential to reverse damage and prolong life. According to Dr Swan, this is due to a greater incidence in the body of advanced glycosylation end products, or AGEs as they are aptly called. This is when glucose molecules attach to protein molecules and the altered molecular ‘end products’ lead to widespread inflammation and scarring. Your body tissues become tighter and narrower in key places such as your arteries.
“Even losing 10% of your body weight if you’re overweight can herald a dramatic improvement in your life expectancy,” he said to The Biggest Loser Club.
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Good habits are key to longevity
Besides losing weight, there is plenty you can do to roll back the years. Paul Taylor says, “Ageing is inevitable, but the rate of ageing is not.”His favourite motto is from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” So establish good healthy behaviours and stick to them in order to make your biological age the same or younger than your calendar age.
“I was tested again recently,” Leigh Western told The Biggest Loser Club. “I am now 16!” He laughed: “I’m Benjamin Button!”
10 habits that reduce mortality
- Don’t smoke, it’s the greatest ageing factor of all
- Exercise regularly, including strength training for your muscles and cardio for your heart and lungs
- Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables
- Get adequate sleep
- Manage your stress
- Keep your blood pressure within the normal range
- Avoid the diet nasties: excessive alcohol, sugar, salt, saturated fat and processed carbs
- Reduce environmental toxins such as second-hand smoke and pollution
- Cultivate your relationships and social networks
- Laugh and enjoy life