Biological age is a measurement of your age based on various biomarkers — a number that can change due to lifestyle and other health factors. “Knowing your biological age is an effective way of determining your cumulative rate of aging,” says Morgan Levine, Ph.

DNA methylation is catalyzed by a family of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) that transfer a methyl group from S-adenyl methionine (SAM) to the fifth carbon of a cytosine residue to form 5mC (Figure 1).

Most of the existing research suggests that DNA methylation relies at least in part on folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, and choline, in addition to other vitamins and minerals. Increasing your intake of these nutrients may help to support DNA methylation, preventing certain genes from being expressed.

Aging is strongly correlated with changes in DNA methylation. DNA methylation and epigenetic alterations have been directly linked to longevity in a wide array of organisms, ranging in complexity from yeast to humans.

Clearly, any imbalances caused by an impaired methylation cycle can lead to anything from insomnia to depression, anxiety, etc. Poor methylation, secondary to folate and B12 deficiency (or poor bioavailability), can result in neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and other birth defects.

Our DNA changes as we age. Some of these changes are epigenetic—they modify DNA without altering the genetic sequence itself. Epigenetic changes affect how genes are turned on and off, or expressed, and thus help regulate how cells in different parts of the body use the same genetic code.

When a gene mutation occurs, the nucleotides are in the wrong order which means the coded instructions are wrong and faulty proteins are made or control switches are changed. The body can’t function as it should. Mutations can be inherited from one or both parents. Gene mutations also occur throughout life.