Estimating Biological Age in the Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study

Chronological age is an imperfect proxy for the biological aging process, which varies substantially across individuals. In this study, we used data from the Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS) to develop and validate a biological age estimate that more closely reflects the pace of physiological aging. We applied a principal component analysis-based approach to a panel of clinical and biochemical markers, constructing a biological age score that accounts for the multidimensional nature of aging. Participants whose biological age exceeded their chronological age showed significantly higher risks of adverse health outcomes, including frailty, cognitive decline, and mortality, compared to those whose biological age was lower. Our findings demonstrate that biological age estimates derived from routine clinical measures can serve as actionable markers for identifying at-risk older adults, and suggest that interventions targeting the biological aging process may be more effective when guided by such individualized assessments.

The Journals of Gerontology: Series A