June 13, 2019•Age Science

The power of epigenetics

Dr. Steve Horvath is a global expert in epigenetics and biomarkers of aging. He is the author of what is described as the most accurate multi-tissue biomarker of aging - “the Horvath’s clock” as a well as recently presented by his lab, the GrimAge clock.

In our interview with Dr. Horvath, we seek answers to the following questions:
• What is epigenetics and how does it influence our aging process?
• How does the Horvath’s Clock differ from the GrimAge clock?
• How close are we to slowing down or reversing the aging process?
• How effective is DNA methylation in predicting biological age?
• What is Dr. Horvath’s personal recipe for a long and healthy life?

Highlights

Epigenetics plays a very important role in the aging process.
The reason I studied DNA methylation is that it relates very strongly with aging across the entire life span.
Smoking, which is a bad habit, does negatively affect your methylation level, and it increases the grim age.
We have definitely noticed that people who eat vegetables age more slowly, at least their blood ages more slowly.