<p><strong>Steve Horvath</strong></p> <p>Steve Horvath, PhD, is a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health</p> <p>Dr. Steve Horvath has analyzed large data sets of DNA methylation profiles to derive an algorithm that <em>accurately</em> predicts a person's chronological age across multiple cells, tissues, and organs, and even mammalian species. He built on this algorithm to develop second-generation clocks that could predict time-to-death among people of the same chronological age, as well as lifespan and healthspan.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>In this episode, we discuss:</strong></p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1"><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction and overview</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(20:24)</strong> Horvath Aging Clocks</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(26:36)</strong> Heredity determines aging</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(35:49)</strong> DNAm PhenoAge vs GrimAge</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(45:58)</strong> Slowing the epigenetic clock</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(01:10:43)</strong> Epigenetics: Cause or consequence of aging?</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(01:16:43)</strong> Vitamin D reverses epigenetic age</li> <li class="li1"><strong>(01:19:07)</strong> Omega-3 slows GrimAge clock</li> <li><strong>(01:24:19)</strong> Ongoing research</li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're interested in learning more, you can read the <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/steve-horvath">full show notes here</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on aging straight to your inbox weekly:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Quit Smoking
Avoid smoking entirely, as it significantly accelerates biological age and makes a mess of your epigenetic clock.
Implement interventions, including dietary changes, to prevent metabolic syndrome and diabetes, as these conditions are detectable by the Grim Age clock and negatively impact aging.
3. Adopt Healthier Lifestyle (High Risk)
If you are obese and smoke, adopting a healthier lifestyle will have a huge beneficial effect on your epigenetic aging.
4. Eat Vegetables
Consume vegetables as part of your diet, as people who eat them show a beneficial effect on their epigenetic clocks.
5. Exercise Regularly
Engage in regular exercise, as it shows a beneficial effect on epigenetic aging, though the effect in blood may be weak.
6. Prioritize Quality Sleep
Avoid sleep disturbances, as they are associated with a slight acceleration of epigenetic age in blood.
7. Increase Dietary Carotenoids
Increase your intake of dietary carotenoids, as they show a beneficial effect on epigenetic age.
8. Take Omega-3 Supplements
Consider using omega-3 supplements or fish oil, as people who took them were found to age more slowly according to the Grim Age clock in an observational study.
A pilot study showed that a cocktail of human growth hormone, metformin, and DHEA, taken for 12 months, reversed epigenetic age by 1.5 years in a small cohort of men, suggesting a potential intervention.
10. Consider Vitamin D Supplementation
A randomized controlled trial in an unhealthy, vitamin D deficient population showed that 4,000 IUs of vitamin D daily reduced epigenetic age by 1.8 years, though larger studies are needed for validation.