Levine's team took routine blood markers from a large US health survey (NHANES) and kept the nine that best predicted death over the following years. The formula weights each one, combines them with your age into a risk score, and converts that back into the age at which an average person in the study had the same risk.
Where to find each marker on your report
Marker
Unit
Section of your report
Albumin
g/L
Liver function
Creatinine
µmol/L
Kidney function, beside eGFR
Glucose
mmol/L
Glucose (fasting)
CRP or hs-CRP
mg/L
Inflammation
ALP
U/L
Liver function
White cells
×10⁹/L
Full blood count, "WCC"
Lymphocytes
×10⁹/L or %
Full blood count, differential
MCV
fL
Full blood count
RDW
%
Full blood count
If your CRP is reported as below a limit, such as "<0.3", enter that number. Anything under 0.1 mg/L is treated as 0.1.
What can skew your result
A recent infection, injury or illness, which raises CRP and white cells for days to weeks.
A very hard training session in the day or two before.
A glucose result that wasn't fasting.
Pregnancy, and medicines that affect blood counts or liver enzymes.
What PhenoAge can't tell you
It is a research measure, not a diagnosis. It was built on US data, and it can't tell you why a marker is off or what to do about it. A practitioner looks at the markers behind the number.
Questions people ask
How accurate is a biological age calculator?
PhenoAge is one of the better-validated blood-based measures. In the original study, each year of PhenoAge above actual age was linked to about a 9% higher risk of death from any cause during follow-up. It is still an estimate for groups of people, not a precise reading for one person, and a single result can be skewed by a recent illness. Tracking it across retests is more useful than any one number.
What is the Yale biological age calculator?
It usually refers to PhenoAge, the formula Dr Morgan Levine developed at Yale and published in 2018. This calculator uses that formula and the same nine blood markers.
Is PhenoAge the same as an epigenetic age test?
No. DNAm PhenoAge is a related epigenetic clock that measures DNA methylation and needs a specialised test. This calculator uses the blood-marker version, which works from routine pathology results.
Can I lower my biological age?
Your PhenoAge moves when its inputs move. Several of them, such as CRP and glucose, respond to changes in food, activity, sleep and body weight, so PhenoAge can shift between tests. Retesting every three months shows the direction.
Do I need to fast for the blood test?
Yes, for an accurate glucose result. Fast overnight and drink water as normal before your blood draw.
More calculators
Sources
Levine ME, et al. An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan. Aging. 2018;10(4):573-591.
Liu Z, et al. A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV. PLOS Medicine. 2018;15(12):e1002718.
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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
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