BMI and lifestyle measures outpredict commercial epigenetic 'biological age' tests for middle-aged Finns

Published July 9 in Aging Cell, a Tampere University study found that body mass index, waist circumference, smoking and alcohol use predicted middle-aged people's future risk of non-communicable disease better than commercial epigenetic “biological age” tests, Tamperelainen reports.

The team found that epigenetic clocks, sold as consumer tools to track biological ageing, did not add clear predictive value over well-known risk factors. They can be expensive to repeat, costing hundreds of euros. The analysis used data from the Finnish Laseri longitudinal study: 1,108 participants aged 34 to 49 at baseline with no chronic diseases were followed for seven to nine years.

Study lead Saara Marttila urged consumers to weigh simple measurements and reflection on lifestyle against costly testing. Kostiniuk, first author and a doctoral researcher, noted that statistical links alone do not prove superior predictive power. The paper is part of Kostiniuk's doctoral work.