Yale Study: Lifestyle and Prescription Drugs Actually Lower Biological Age

Yale researchers pooled data from 51 intervention studies and compared their effects on DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks. Exercise-and-diet programs and prescription drugs (metformin, semaglutide, anti-TNF) produced measurable drops in biological age, while over-the-counter supplements showed little effect. The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

• 51 intervention studies and over 110 DNA methylation biomarkers, including 16 major epigenetic clocks, were analyzed
• Metformin, semaglutide and anti-TNF treatments produced the largest reductions in epigenetic age
• Exercise plus diet programs (Mediterranean, low-carb, low-fat) consistently lowered epigenetic age
• Supplements and some medical procedures showed no significant effect