Accelerated Aging: Everything You Should Know

No one likes to think they’re aging faster than they should, but the wrinkles on our faces and the pains in our knees can often indicate that our bodies are aging more rapidly than they have to. Just like sun exposure can cause premature skin aging, photoaging through hyperpigmentation, and age spots, not caring for our bodies can cause our cells to age too fast. 

When our cells age faster than they should, we are more susceptible to age-related illnesses, diseases, and common symptoms of aging (like aches and pains) that can decrease our quality of life. In this article, we’ll discuss the effects of accelerated aging and how we can combat it.

Does the Human Body Age in Different Ways?

Our bodies age in two ways: based on our birthdate and underlying issues affecting our cells. These two types of aging are called chronological aging and biological aging, respectively.

Chronological Aging

This type of aging refers to your actual age. You can’t change your chronological age, and it will increase steadily with time.

Biological Aging

Your biological age refers to the age of your cells and can differ from chronological age. That means your cells may be younger or older than your birthdate. Biological age can be affected by lifestyle choices and habits, genetics, and underlying illness. 

We can’t change our chronological age, but we can change our biological one, which is arguably more important to the aging process itself. After all, if it’s true that you’re only as old as you feel, you’d want to feel 30 when you’re 50 — and 50 when you’re 70.

If you feel older than your calendar age, you may be experiencing accelerated aging. 

What Is Accelerated Aging?

Accelerated aging, as it relates to the body, means our cells are aging faster than they should. In other words, your biological age is older than your chronological age. 

Most of us can say we sometimes feel older than we actually are, but if you persistently feel aches, pains, or fatigue that isn’t related to any other medical condition, you could be experiencing accelerated aging. 

What Are the Symptoms of Accelerated Aging?

Some of the obvious signs of accelerated aging appear as skin changes. Premature wrinkles, sunspots, and sagging skin can be common, especially if you haven’t taken precautions using skincare products, such as moisturizers or sunblock. 

If you have areas of uneven pigmentation, broken blood vessels, or overall dryness and loss of elasticity in your skin, visit your dermatologist to determine if your skin cells are aging faster than the rest of your body due to ultraviolet light damage. 

Other symptoms of accelerated aging include:

• Hair loss, thinning of hair follicles, and graying
• Sunken face
• Loss of collagen and elastin in the skin
• Dry skin and fine lines 
• Stiff joints
• Muscle weakness
• Vision and hearing changes
• Decreased cognitive function 
• Weakened immune system

These symptoms can be common symptoms of aging, so it can be hard to know if what you are experiencing is normal or if it’s happening to you too soon.

How To Test if You’re Aging Too Fast 

Accelerated aging tests are available, but you probably won’t find a dermatology specialist administering one. They’re typically available only through specific healthcare providers and not likely covered by insurance. 

Premature aging tests can measure the length of telomeres at the end of your chromosomes, determining the age of your cells. There are also tests to measure other aspects of your DNA, as well as blood tests to measure certain proteins.

An online test is one of the simplest ways to measure your biological age. These Q&A-style tests aren’t precise but can provide a ballpark measurement of your biological age based on your lifestyle habits and underlying illnesses. If you take one and discover you’re aging prematurely, don’t worry. We’re going to tell you how to reverse the clock.

How To Slow Biological Aging

There are several ways to hack the biological aging system. Changes in these areas can significantly impact how quickly your body ages and help you feel younger than your calendar age.

Eat Right

You already know that a balanced diet is essential, but it also helps you age more slowly. Research shows it affects skin aging, helps with hydration, and keeps your skin looking youthful.

Exercise

Staying active is foundational to the people who live in Blue Zones, areas where residents frequently live to be 100+ years old. Whether incorporating walking, cycling, or gardening into their routines, these residents keep moving and enjoy more mobility. 

Wear Sunscreen

Protecting your skin from sun damage can prevent the most noticeable signs of premature aging. Wearing protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, and an SPF of 35 or higher can keep your skin looking more youthful than your calendar age. It can also reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. 

Regarding sunscreen, it’s vital to protect your skin from UV rays even when it’s cloudy or you don’t plan to be outdoors. That includes tanning beds!

Manage Stress

Chronic stress can shorten your lifespan. In Blue Zones, residents engage in stress-relieving activities to manage their stress. Whether relaxing at a spa, reading a book, meditating, or taking a yoga class, prioritizing stress management is essential to maintaining a more youthful biological age.

Get Regular Check-Ups

Healthcare screenings are paramount. Many types of cancer have a very high survivability rate when detected early. Ensuring you don’t develop underlying illnesses is key to keeping your body healthy and avoiding premature aging. 

Stay Socially Engaged

As we age, it can be challenging to remain socially engaged. Staying connected is important, as social activity in older adults correlates with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In Blue Zones, residents have active social lives and continue to connect with other older adults.

Take Care of Your Cells

Biological aging begins and ends in our cells. Researchers have identified several processes within our cells that cause them to age. 

Known as the hallmarks of aging, these processes can be slowed down if we follow the tips above and flex a little scientific muscle. Another useful method is focusing on our C15:0 levels.

What Is C15:0 and How Does It Affect Aging?

C15:0 is a recently identified odd-chain saturated fatty acid and the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years. “Essential” here means that our bodies need C15:0 to thrive but cannot readily produce it on their own. Instead, we have to get it from food or supplements. 

C15:0 has been shown to target six out of the 12 hallmarks of aging in our cells, better than studies of other longevity-promoting molecules (like rapamycin and metformin). C15:0 dives deep into our cells to:

• Strengthen cells by 80%
• Improve mitochondrial function and increase ATP levels within cells by 350%
• Lower LDL cholesterol (better known as “bad” cholesterol)
• Improve liver enzymes and reduce the risk of fatty liver disease
• Improve the gut microbiome
• Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Most people have circulating C15:0 levels that are lower than 0.2% of their total fatty acid counts. By contrast, people living in the Blue Zone of Sardinia, Italy, have C15:0 levels that are three times that much (0.64%). 

Experts agree that levels between 0.2% and 0.4% are close to optimal, but higher levels are consistently associated with more positive health outcomes. 

What Happens if Your Levels Are Low?

C15:0 levels lower than 0.2% are common. As many as one in three people worldwide have low levels of this essential nutrient, making them susceptible to C15:0 deficiency. In fact, researchers recently published a paper detailing the effects of C15:0 deficiency, known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome, which is the first deficiency syndrome to be discovered in over 75 years. This is a groundbreaking finding because nutritional deficiencies are rarely discovered. 

The paper describes how Cellular Fragility Syndrome can lead to ferroptosis, a specific type of premature cell death that accelerates aging and negatively impacts your heart, liver, and metabolic health. 

It may sound like bad news, but the good news is that you can test for and fix your C15:0 levels to prevent and treat Cellular Fragility Syndrome. By doing so, you can also reverse cellular aging and support your metabolic, heart, and liver health. 

However, the only way to know for certain if you have a C15:0 deficiency is by ordering a C15:0 at-home test or having your doctor perform a blood test. Additionally, you can determine the result of increasing your C15:0 levels by monitoring your complete blood count, fasting lipid panel, and liver enzymes.

C15:0 levels should be above 0.2% of your total fatty acids to prevent nutritional deficiencies and Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Again, it’s worth noting that in Blue Zones, C15:0 levels usually measure between 0.4% and 0.6% of total fatty acids.

Luckily, increasing your C15:0 levels is easy, but there’s only one item in the playbook: fatty15.

What Is fatty15?

Fatty15 is the world’s first C15:0 supplement, designed by doctors and scientists to support your cellular health. Fatty15 has been proven to reverse a type of cellular death called ferroptosis and prevent and treat Cellular Fragility Syndrome, resulting in improved metabolic, heart, and liver health. 

What’s more, a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study in the Journal of Medicine confirms that fatty15 can raise your hemoglobin levels, support red blood cell health, and restore liver function. It’s exactly the help that your cells have been asking for.

Why Is a C15:0 Supplement Better Than C15:0 in Food?

C15:0 can be hard to increase in our diets. It’s only found in trace amounts of whole-fat dairy foods like whole milk. You’d have to consume a lot of whole milk to obtain the beneficial levels of C15:0 that you need, and increasing your intake of whole milk would come with unwanted side effects. 

But there are other reasons why getting your C15:0 from a supplement is a good option:

It’s More Easily Absorbed

In whole milk, C15:0 is attached to triglycerides, which digestive enzymes must break down. When broken down, the C15:0 is finally free for the body to absorb. This additional step makes the C15:0 absorption process less efficient. In fatty15, C15:0 is already available in its free form, readily absorbable as soon as you take it.

It Isn’t Combined With Unhealthy Fat

The good C15:0 in whole milk is only present in trace amounts, while bad, even-chain saturated fat is present in large quantities. Whole milk also contains a wallop of calories and excess sugars (from lactose). In fatty15, the only ingredient is the pure, vegan-friendly version of C15:0 — nothing else. What’s more, each capsule contains one single calorie. 

It Doesn’t Involve Cows

Speaking of vegan-friendly, if you don’t consume animal products, you’ll have a hard time increasing your C15:0 level with products that come from cows. Additionally, plant-based milk (like almond or coconut) is completely void of C15:0. The solution? Fatty15! It’s cow-friendly and gives you the good C15:0 you need without any animal involvement. 

Hit the Breaks on Aging

Some aspects of getting older are part of the natural aging process, but other factors can be changed so that our bodies don’t age as quickly as our birthdate. Taking care of your body will pay dividends for your overall wellness, and adding fatty15 to your health stack is a great way to ensure your cells are protected against Cellular Fragility Syndrome. 

Normal aging? No thanks. With fatty15, you can optimize your cellular health to live healthier, for longer.

Sources:

Premature Aging: Signs, Causes & Prevention | Cleveland Clinic

Diet and Skin Aging—From the Perspective of Food Nutrition | PMC

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease | PubMed

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds | MDPI

Biomarkers of dairy fat intake, incident cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: A cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis | PLOS Medicine

The Cellular Stability Hypothesis: Evidence of Ferroptosis and Accelerated Aging-Associated Diseases as Newly Identified Nutritional Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0) Deficiency Syndrome | MDPI