The biological age of the human body is supposed to only increase, just like chronological age. But as it seems biological time is more flexible. A US study published in Cell Metabolism (entitled “Biological age is increased by stress and restored upon recovery“) reveals that aging caused by severe stress is transient and reversible within days or weeks, a discovery that may pave the way for new antiaging treatments.
Researchers at Harvard and other US institutions focused on a standard biomarker of aging that measures levels of DNA methylation – local chemical modifications of genetic material that alter gene activity. Previous studies have shown that methylation levels tend to decline over the years, although certain regions of DNA may be methylated more frequently in diseases such as heart disease.
The study examined how methylation levels are affected by severe physiological stress. Specifically, it looked at elderly patients before and after hip surgery, patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to Covid-19, as well as women before and after pregnancy.
The analysis showed that methylation levels fluctuate widely, with biological age increasing during the stressful event and returning to previous levels shortly afterwards. However, the reversal of transient aging does not seem to happen to everyone at the same speed and to the same extent.
The researchers acknowledge that the study covers only one aspect of aging and does not offer any miracle solutions. However, the findings challenge the idea that biological age can only increase and suggest that it may be possible to identify interventions that slow or partially reverse biological age.
