Are You Actually Getting Younger? (Here's How To Know)

"I feel better. I have more energy. My skin looks clearer. But am I actually reversing my biological age?"

This is the question I hear most from clients who've been implementing longevity protocols.

And it's a crucial question. Because feelings can lie.

Maybe your energy is up because you're excited about your new routine. Perhaps you're sleeping better simply because you're paying attention to it. Your improved mood might be placebo effect.

Don't get me wrong—feeling better matters. But if you're serious about longevity, you need to know if you're actually changing your biology.

The good news? Biomarkers don't lie.

The Difference Between Disease Markers and Longevity Markers

Most doctors track disease markers. They're looking for what's wrong—elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, concerning blood sugar levels.

Their goal is to keep you out of the "disease" range.

But staying out of the disease range isn't the same as optimizing for longevity. You can have "normal" lab results and still be aging rapidly.

I track longevity markers—the specific biomarkers that predict not just absence of disease, but extended healthspan and lifespan.

These markers tell you whether you're aging slower than your chronological age, maintaining your current biological age, or still aging faster than you should.

Your Biological Age Reversal Scorecard

Let me walk you through the categories of biomarkers that actually matter for longevity.

Cellular Aging Markers

DunedinPace: This relatively new biomarker measures your pace of aging—literally how fast you're aging per calendar year. Someone with a DunedinPace of 1.0 is aging normally. Below 1.0 means you're aging slower than average. Above 1.0 means you're aging faster. The goal is to get below 0.9—aging 10% slower than your chronological years.

Telomere length: Your telomeres are protective caps on the ends of your chromosomes. They shorten with each cell division, and when they get too short, cells stop dividing properly. Longer telomeres indicate younger cellular age. While you can't dramatically lengthen telomeres, you can slow their shortening—and that's a meaningful longevity marker.

Inflammation Markers

Here's where most people's labs look "fine" but are actually far from optimal.

C-reactive protein (CRP): Your doctor might tell you that anything under 3.0 mg/L is normal. But for longevity, you want CRP under 1.0 mg/L. Chronic low-grade inflammation accelerates every aspect of aging. If your CRP is 2.5, you're "normal" but you're also aging faster than necessary.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6): This inflammatory cytokine should be under 1.8 pg/ml for optimal longevity. Elevated IL-6 is associated with frailty, cognitive decline, and accelerated aging.

Homocysteine: Standard labs consider anything under 15 μmol/L acceptable. For longevity, you want homocysteine under 8 μmol/L. Elevated homocysteine damages blood vessels, increases Alzheimer's risk, and accelerates aging. The good news? It's easily lowered with methylated B vitamins.

Metabolic Health Markers

This is where the conversation gets really interesting, because the standard "healthy" ranges are nowhere near optimal.

Fasting insulin: Your doctor probably doesn't even test this. If they do, they might say anything under 25 μIU/ml is fine. For longevity, you want fasting insulin under 5 μIU/ml. Elevated insulin—even in the "normal" range—indicates insulin resistance, which accelerates aging and increases disease risk.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): Standard medicine says under 5.7% is non-diabetic. For longevity, you want HbA1c under 5.0%. This indicates excellent glucose control and low glycation—the process where sugar molecules damage proteins throughout your body.

Fasting glucose: Again, "normal" isn't optimal. While under 100 mg/dL is considered healthy, longevity-focused practitioners aim for 70-85 mg/dL with minimal variation.

Functional Capacity Markers

Numbers on paper only tell part of the story. Your body's actual functional capacity is equally important.

Grip strength: This surprisingly powerful predictor of longevity should be over 40kg for men and over 25kg for women. Grip strength correlates with overall muscle mass, neurological function, and all-cause mortality risk.

VO2 max: Your maximum oxygen uptake during exercise predicts cardiovascular health and longevity. Men should aim for over 35 ml/kg/min, women over 30 ml/kg/min. Higher is better—elite endurance athletes in their 50s can maintain VO2 max levels comparable to average people in their 20s.

Walking speed: People who walk faster live longer. It's that simple. If you can't maintain a pace of at least 1 meter per second (2.2 mph), it's a red flag for declining physical function.

Tracking Your Transformation

Here's how to use these biomarkers strategically:

Establish your baseline. Get comprehensive testing now, before you're 6 months into optimization protocols. You need to know where you're starting.

Retest strategically. Some markers respond quickly to intervention—CRP and fasting insulin can improve within weeks. Others, like telomere length and DunedinPace, should be tested annually. Don't overtest, but don't fly blind either.

Track trends, not single points. One test tells you where you are. Multiple tests over time tell you if your interventions are working. A single elevated marker might be noise. A trend of improvement or decline is signal.

Optimize systematically. When markers are suboptimal, don't just throw supplements at the problem. Understand the underlying causes. High CRP might mean gut inflammation, food sensitivities, or poor sleep. Address root causes, not just symptoms.

The Truth About Biological Age

You can absolutely reverse your biological age. I've watched clients drop their biological age by 5-10 years through strategic optimization of these biomarkers.

But you can't manage what you don't measure.

Feelings are important. Energy, mental clarity, and physical vitality all matter.

But if you want to know whether you're actually getting younger at the cellular level, you need data.

Track the right markers. Optimize what's suboptimal. Retest to confirm improvement.

That's how you watch yourself get biologically younger, one biomarker at a time.

Your biological age is not your chronological age. And with the right testing and interventions, you can prove it.

Are You Actually Getting Younger? (Here's How To Know)

"I feel better. I have more energy. My skin looks clearer. But am I actually reversing my biological age?"

This is the question I hear most from clients who've been implementing longevity protocols.

And it's a crucial question. Because feelings can lie.

Maybe your energy is up because you're excited about your new routine. Perhaps you're sleeping better simply because you're paying attention to it. Your improved mood might be placebo effect.

Don't get me wrong—feeling better matters. But if you're serious about longevity, you need to know if you're actually changing your biology.

The good news? Biomarkers don't lie.

The Difference Between Disease Markers and Longevity Markers

Most doctors track disease markers. They're looking for what's wrong—elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, concerning blood sugar levels.

Their goal is to keep you out of the "disease" range.

But staying out of the disease range isn't the same as optimizing for longevity. You can have "normal" lab results and still be aging rapidly.

I track longevity markers—the specific biomarkers that predict not just absence of disease, but extended healthspan and lifespan.

These markers tell you whether you're aging slower than your chronological age, maintaining your current biological age, or still aging faster than you should.

Your Biological Age Reversal Scorecard

Let me walk you through the categories of biomarkers that actually matter for longevity.

Cellular Aging Markers

DunedinPace: This relatively new biomarker measures your pace of aging—literally how fast you're aging per calendar year. Someone with a DunedinPace of 1.0 is aging normally. Below 1.0 means you're aging slower than average. Above 1.0 means you're aging faster. The goal is to get below 0.9—aging 10% slower than your chronological years.

Telomere length: Your telomeres are protective caps on the ends of your chromosomes. They shorten with each cell division, and when they get too short, cells stop dividing properly. Longer telomeres indicate younger cellular age. While you can't dramatically lengthen telomeres, you can slow their shortening—and that's a meaningful longevity marker.

Inflammation Markers

Here's where most people's labs look "fine" but are actually far from optimal.

C-reactive protein (CRP): Your doctor might tell you that anything under 3.0 mg/L is normal. But for longevity, you want CRP under 1.0 mg/L. Chronic low-grade inflammation accelerates every aspect of aging. If your CRP is 2.5, you're "normal" but you're also aging faster than necessary.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6): This inflammatory cytokine should be under 1.8 pg/ml for optimal longevity. Elevated IL-6 is associated with frailty, cognitive decline, and accelerated aging.

Homocysteine: Standard labs consider anything under 15 μmol/L acceptable. For longevity, you want homocysteine under 8 μmol/L. Elevated homocysteine damages blood vessels, increases Alzheimer's risk, and accelerates aging. The good news? It's easily lowered with methylated B vitamins.

Metabolic Health Markers

This is where the conversation gets really interesting, because the standard "healthy" ranges are nowhere near optimal.

Fasting insulin: Your doctor probably doesn't even test this. If they do, they might say anything under 25 μIU/ml is fine. For longevity, you want fasting insulin under 5 μIU/ml. Elevated insulin—even in the "normal" range—indicates insulin resistance, which accelerates aging and increases disease risk.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): Standard medicine says under 5.7% is non-diabetic. For longevity, you want HbA1c under 5.0%. This indicates excellent glucose control and low glycation—the process where sugar molecules damage proteins throughout your body.

Fasting glucose: Again, "normal" isn't optimal. While under 100 mg/dL is considered healthy, longevity-focused practitioners aim for 70-85 mg/dL with minimal variation.

Functional Capacity Markers

Numbers on paper only tell part of the story. Your body's actual functional capacity is equally important.

Grip strength: This surprisingly powerful predictor of longevity should be over 40kg for men and over 25kg for women. Grip strength correlates with overall muscle mass, neurological function, and all-cause mortality risk.

VO2 max: Your maximum oxygen uptake during exercise predicts cardiovascular health and longevity. Men should aim for over 35 ml/kg/min, women over 30 ml/kg/min. Higher is better—elite endurance athletes in their 50s can maintain VO2 max levels comparable to average people in their 20s.

Walking speed: People who walk faster live longer. It's that simple. If you can't maintain a pace of at least 1 meter per second (2.2 mph), it's a red flag for declining physical function.

Tracking Your Transformation

Here's how to use these biomarkers strategically:

Establish your baseline. Get comprehensive testing now, before you're 6 months into optimization protocols. You need to know where you're starting.

Retest strategically. Some markers respond quickly to intervention—CRP and fasting insulin can improve within weeks. Others, like telomere length and DunedinPace, should be tested annually. Don't overttest, but don't fly blind either.

Track trends, not single points. One test tells you where you are. Multiple tests over time tell you if your interventions are working. A single elevated marker might be noise. A trend of improvement or decline is signal.

Optimize systematically. When markers are suboptimal, don't just throw supplements at the problem. Understand the underlying causes. High CRP might mean gut inflammation, food sensitivities, or poor sleep. Address root causes, not just symptoms.

The Truth About Biological Age

You can absolutely reverse your biological age. I've watched clients drop their biological age by 5-10 years through strategic optimization of these biomarkers.

But you can't manage what you don't measure.

Feelings are important. Energy, mental clarity, and physical vitality all matter.

But if you want to know whether you're actually getting younger at the cellular level, you need data.

Track the right markers. Optimize what's suboptimal. Retest to confirm improvement.

That's how you watch yourself get biologically younger, one biomarker at a time.

Your biological age is not your chronological age. And with the right testing and interventions, you can prove it.