PhenoAge Update: My Latest Test Results – and Some Planned Changes To My Protocol
- © Nils Osmar 2025. January 30, 2025
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
I get blood tests done by LifeExtension every couple of months, to help track the effect that changes to my protocol are having on biomarkers related to aging.
- According to PhenoAge, which is based on several biomarkers that correlate statistically with methylation, my biological age is 62.7 years.
- I turned 72 a month ago. So according to PhenoAge’s calculator, my biological age is 9.3 years younger than my chronological age.
- Here’s a link to the latest version of the PhenoAge calculator, with thanks to Mike Lustgarten: DNAmPhenoAge_gen
Is PhenoAge reliable?
- I don’t think it’s perfect… no calculator is. But PhenoAge correlates well with GrimAge, which is widely considered to be the best clock for predicting mortality and health span. Its one of several calculators I use to track what may be going on internally.
- Whether its age estimate is exactly accurate or not, I find it to be a good way of seeing relative changes. (i.e., if your estimated age goes up or down, seeing it doing so can help you refine and improve to your protocol). (Rather than guess at the impact of making changes in your diet, you can test beforehand; make the changes; then test afterwards to see if the changes were beneficial in an anti-aging sense.) This study is a good summary of how it works and why many people are using it.
- PhenoAge can also be of use in estimating our survival odds if we’re dealing with serious health issues. See this study: Association between Phenotypic Age and Mortality in Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease
- Re: the “mort score”, see this article.
- Here’s a link to the latest version of the PhenoAge calculator, with thanks to Mike Lustgarten: DNAmPhenoAge_gen
- You would need to contact Lifeextension or another organization to buy the blood tests to give you the data to enter into the calculator. But the calculator itself is free.
How this result compares to my previous ones
- I’ve been running regular blood tests and entering the results into PhenoAge for a couple of years now. Today’s results are a ten month improvement over the results from my blood tests last fall. This could be just a random variation, but it could also imply that some recent changes, such as starting a ketogenic diet, are slightly lowering my biological age.
- My blood sugar and A1C were a little lower in this test than the last one, though not as much as I’d expected after going ketogenic, possibly because I stopped taking berberine when I went ketogenic. So I’ll be adding berberine back into my protocol.
- My HDL went down a little, probably because I also quit niacin. So I’ll also be adding niacin back in.
Testosterone levels
- Hormones are at least as important as other biomarkers. The average testosterone level for a 72-year-old man is around 300 ng/dL. My current level is 653 ng/dL, similar to what it was when I was 50 years old. So this is another sign that my protocol is likely having some benefits.
What I’ve been doing
- In terms of exercise, I work out with weights twice a week, do HIIT on a stationary bike, and walk a lot (though not as much as I should be doing). I do small things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- I try to optimize sleep.
- I stay physically and mentally active.
- I take lots of supplements.
- My current diet is largely animal-based but also includes many other foods. I eat lots of fish, poultry, eggs, raw and fermented dairy, and meat, plus some fermented vegetables, cooked and raw vegetables and berries).
- I recently switched to eating a ketogenic diet.
Upcoming changes
- Based on the most recent test results, I plan to stay ketogenic for another couple of months then will test again, and continue taking HMB and fadogia agrestis (which correlate with the increase in testosterone).
- I’ll be increasing the amount of walking I do.
- I plan to restart berberine and niacin, starting today.
- I also plan to go back on rapamycin soon, to see if I can further lower my epigenetic age.
- Your “mort score” or mortality score improves greatly if you lower high blood sugar; so I’ll be working on bringing mine down. See this article.
- If you’re curious about my current protocol, you can read about it on this page:
I miss Aging.AI!
Another calculator, aging.ai, used to show my blood biomarkers as being between 29-31 years younger than my chronological age. I miss it! It was very encouraging. I still use it in a sense, by trying to get my other biomarkers as close to what it considered ideal as possible.
Me these days
Still got the double chin! I’d look younger without it. But I’m happy to have been able to add some more muscle.
Not medical advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
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More from Nils Osmar
- Anti-Aging Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
- Anti-Aging Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension
- Rekindle School classes in Seattle: Rekindl.e School
- My personal website: My articles, art and more: Nilsosmar.com
- Exploring possible consciousness in Claude.AI and other LLMs: AI Consciousness
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