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The Most Affordable Lab-Based Epigenetic Age Tool – The PhenoAge Calculator

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Biological “clocks” based on epigenetic age have been around for just over a decade. Steve Horvath, a PhD scientist at UCLA launched the field with his original 2013 pan-tissue clock that predicted chronological age with head-turning accuracy. Other researchers subsequently crunched their own epigenetic (DNA methylation) data and applied advanced mathematical models to similarly predict age with their own “clocks”, resulting in a suite of available epigenetic age assessments – each with similarities but also notable differences. Some of these are more widely available for non-researchers to use than others.

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Valuable Insight into Gut Health from DUTCH Hormone Testing

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When seeking health advice, we’ve all heard the recommendation, “start with the gut.” Whether we have high cholesterol or heavy periods, it always somehow comes back to the gut, right? Why is that? Well, it’s probably because the state of our gut affects the health of every organ system in our body, and because of this, a healthier gut tends to improve how we feel and function on a day-to-day basis. Many people only think to use a stool test to evaluate gut health, but the DUTCH Test may also yield valuable insights through its measurement of cortisol, hormone metabolites, and organic acids.

Video Blog: Interpreting the Latest (Controversial) Research on Fish Oil

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  In this 15-minute video blog segment, Dr. Fitzgerald discusses a controversial study on fish oil and cardiovascular disease that was published in the British Medical Journal earlier this year titled Regular use of fish oil supplements and course of cardiovascular diseases: prospective cohort study with former clinic resident Tish Campbell PhD. Find the study full…

How Hormone Monitors are Changing the Way Providers Care for Women

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From changing the way pregnancies are planned to helping women anticipate perimenopause – female hormone trackers are here, and they’re helping clinicians provide better care for patients. This blog will take a closer look at what hormone monitors can do, how to choose the right one for your patients, and how they can help you see improved outcomes in a range of clinical scenarios.

clocks

Past, Present, and Future of “Biological Aging” with Dr. Fitzgerald

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Team DrKF sat down with Dr. Fitzgerald to pose some questions about the “state of the state” of longevity research, current controversies and future directions, and where she sees her work fitting into it. When it comes to defining and using measures of biological age, where does the science currently stand? To understand where we currently stand, and why changes are afoot, we have to first consider where we’ve come from. When Steve Horvath at UCLA released the first epigenetic biological age clock in 2013 it marked the entry of longevity medicine into the mainstream (referred to as biogerontology in science, anti-aging medicine in some clinical circles).

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Why Skin Health is the Ultimate Test of Longevity

Functional Medicine for Consumers, Functional Medicine for Professionals1 Comment

When you think about longevity tests, you might picture lipid panels and fasting blood glucose assessments. However, there’s one aspect of longevity you might not immediately consider: the health of your skin. From eczema and rosacea to premature lines and wrinkles, what’s happening on the surface is often indicative of underlying issues, including those that contribute to cardiovascular disease, dysbiosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

medical research into spermidine

Spermidine & other polyamines: Important players in longevity? Yes… with a few caveats

Functional Medicine for Professionals2 Comments

As the name implies, spermidine was first characterized in sperm, and while there is a high concentration present in semen (and it appears important for fertility), it’s everywhere- in all eukaryotic cells. In fact, wind the evolutionary clock back to the earliest endosymbiotic happenings, you’ll find spermidine and the broader family of polyamines on center stage, playing a central role in the development of… life. Indeed, bacteria, archaea and plants (and even viruses) all rely on polyamines. These facts alone illustrate the obvious: polyamines are important. Attribution for the discovery of spermine (the polyamine metabolite of spermidine) is given to Anton Leeuwenhoek, the father of microscopy, in 1678.