![]() ![]() The distinction between biological and chronological age could have significant implications on how we should understand legal age. ![]() Recent developments in epigenetics suggest that our epigenome – the chemical changes that happen above our DNA sequence – might be the key to understanding and calculating human biological aging. How fast our cells deteriorate depends on various factors: our genes and our lifestyle choices such as eating and exercising habits. Whereas chronological age increases at the same rate for everyone, biological age does not. While chronological age refers to the actual amount of time a person has existed, biological age refers to epigenetic alteration and DNA methylation which express on how able and functioning she is and whether she has diseases related to old age. In the fields of gerontology and anti-aging medicine, there is a commonly used distinction between biological and chronological age, which can be used as a base for claims of legal age change. Since compared to chronological age biological age indicates more accurately what matters, such as functioning ability, should legal age change be allowed, if our aging process could be significantly decelerated or our biological age accurately measured? However, there are people, for example, transhumanists, who think we should strive to stop biological aging and pursue eternal youth. The Dutch court rejected Ratelband’s appeal and many think he was not serious in his request in the first place. Therefore, he claimed, he should be entitled to change his official age. Ratelband claimed he has the body of a 50-year-old man and that he identifies as being younger than he currently is. When that happens, shouldn’t our legal age be based on our biological rather than chronological age since biological age is a better indication on how able and well-functioning we actually are?ĭutchman Emile Ratelband (age 69 at the time) recently made headlines by wanting to change his birth date to 20 years later than the date he was born. But the results from epigenetics research imply that it may soon be possible to calculate a person’s biological age accurately. Currently chronological age is used as a proxy for how well people function. The distinction between biological and chronological age could have significant implications for how we should understand our legal age. Recent developments in epigenetics suggest that our epigenome-the chemical changes that happen above our DNA sequence-might be the key to understanding and calculating human biological aging. In the fields of gerontology and anti-aging medicine, there is a commonly used distinction between biological and chronological age. ![]()
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