Unleashing Longevity: Improving These Five Biomarkers Can Add Years To Your Life!

Biomarkers are your body’s “Check Engine” light. Biomarkers are early warning signs, silent signals that something could be wrong. Just as a vehicle’s “Check Engine” light often illuminates when the car seems perfectly fine, biomarker testing can uncover symptom-free, hidden conditions. Ignore the “Check Engine” light long enough and your car will break down. Ignore cautionary biomarkers and your body might do the same thing. 

Biomarkers can be measured. They are usually found in our tissues, blood, or other body fluids. When they stray from optimal numbers, biomarkers provide early warning signs for diseases or conditions. Many normal bodily functions are also tracked via biomarkers. They are also a great gauge for the effectiveness of treatments or lifestyle changes. If you want to increase your life expectancy and lengthen your longevity, here are five critical biomarkers and the best ways for improving them.

1.  Lower High Blood Pressure 

America’s number one killer isn’t cars, cancer, or crime. It’s heart disease. The condition takes over 700,000 lives every year. Over 30 million Americans are diagnosed with some form of heart disease every year while one out of four deaths is caused by the condition. And every year more than 800,000 Americans have a heart attack.

The scary part? There are often no heart disease symptoms. Victims often receive their first warning during a fatal heart attack. It doesn’t have to be that way. 

The first biomarkers you should look at are related to your risk of heart disease. Also called molecular markers or signature molecules, biomarker testing requires just a few drops of blood. Yet this simple test allows doctors to discover clues about our overall health. “The more biomarkers you can evaluate and track over time, the better your chances are for a smarter and longer health span,” Laura Kunces, PhD, RD, CSSD, a physiologist and registered dietitian told Hone Health. 

Increasingly, doctors are not as concerned about longevity as they are about health span – enjoying the most healthy, disease-free years possible. When it comes to estimating health span (and life span), blood pressure is a critical biomarker. It’s so critical that it’s considered a surrogate end point. 

These surrogate end points can tell you if lifestyle changes or treatments are actually working. For example, surrogate end points could include shrinking tumors or lower biomarkers in cancer treatment. These surrogates provide faster and more actionable information than the ultimate objectives they only hint at: improved quality of life and longer survival rates. 

Very few biomarkers are considered surrogate end points. Blood pressure is a widely accepted surrogate end point because there’s so much evidence showing a direct correlation between hypertension and heart disease. If you have high blood pressure, taking steps to lower it is one of the best responses to this biomarker. 

When you get a blood pressure reading, the numbers you’ll see are taken from units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). In a blood pressure reading, the upper or systolic number is followed by the lower or diastolic value. They are measurements of pressure that is created when blood pushes against your arterial walls. The first number is measured between heartbeats when the organ is resting. The second number is taken during the actual heartbeat. 

If your first number is under 120 and your second is below 80, congratulations. You have normal blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is when the first number registers between 120-129 while the second remains under 80. This is one of those vital, actionable surrogate endpoint biomarkers. That’s because when elevated blood pressure isn’t treated, it almost always becomes hypertension. 

For many, the speediest solution is a combination of diet and exercise. The best heart-healthy diet is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet. Like the Mediterranean and many other similar diets, DASH is a plant-based program. That means eating a generous amount of vegetables and fruits every day. The diet is also heavy on low-fat or no-fat dairy and whole grains along with lean proteins like chicken and fish. Nuts are the primary snack source while cooking is done in olive or other vegetable oils.

The DASH diet restricts heavily processed foods that are high in saturated fat, sugar, and or salt. Fatty or processed meats and sugar-sweetened drinks are also avoided. 

Along with diet, exercise is a key component to improving the blood pressure biomarker. The most important part of exercise isn’t what you do or even the level of intensity. It’s consistency. Aim for five sessions a week of at least 30 minutes. 

After getting your blood pressure checked, biomarker testing is the next step toward health and longevity. Fortunately, you don’t have to leave your house to discover nine important biomarkers. Kyla’s biomarker testing includes ones for heart health along with biomarkers for hormonal health, vitamin and mineral status, and liver and kidney health. While many companies charge hundreds of dollars for these tests, biomarker testing at Kyla is just $99. That cost may even be covered by your insurance plan. 

To learn more, go online and complete a brief health quiz to discover the best test for your needs. A few days after ordering, you’ll receive a test kit and sample collection instructions. Just a few drops of blood are all that’s required. Send the sample to our labs and in a few days you’ll receive data about critical biomarkers. Best of all, if you download the Kyla app you’ll learn what steps to take to improve your numbers and find out your estimated lifespan.

2. Take Steps to Achieve Optimal Cholesterol Levels 

Also affected by diet and exercise? Cholesterol. In fact, studies suggest that engaging not only in aerobic activity that raises your heart rate but also muscle-building strength training is the best recipe for reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Along with high blood pressure, cholesterol levels are probably the most common biomarker. In fact it’s considered a “surrogate biomarker” because high cholesterol is a reasonable stand-in for cardiovascular disease risk. Triglycerides are fats found in both the fat tissues of the body and the bloodstream. Exceeding triglycerides levels of 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) greatly increases your risk of heart disease. 

To lower that number, the best first step is often reducing alcohol consumption. While generally safe or even beneficial in moderation, drinking too much alcohol can reduce your liver’s ability to break down fats. At the same time, excessive alcohol consumption increases your body’s production of triglyceride-carrying molecules. So along with exercise and having a healthy diet, limiting yourself to two alcoholic drinks daily can rapidly improve this biomarker. 

Remember, the so-called good cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is considered beneficial because it transports low-density lipoprotein (LDL) away from the body. Aim for HDL levels between 40 mg/dL and 60 mg/dL or higher. High levels of LDL cholesterol are considered a surrogate endpoint – it predicts the level of benefit provided by interventions like diet and exercise. 

Just by looking at LDL cholesterol levels it’s possible to approximate someone’s risk for cardiovascular disease. It’s also possible to develop a treatment plan – one that often includes lifestyle adjustments. It’s important to note that you can have too much of a good thing. Recent research reveals that exceeding HDL levels of 80 mg/dL has been linked to a 96% high risk of dying – from a variety of causes not just heart disease.

Because having high cholesterol levels doesn’t always indicate elevated heart attack risk, Kyla offers a non-invasive heart test for individuals. To get the Cleerly test, California residents need only download the Kyla app and speak with one of our doctors. If you live in the U.S. but outside of California, you should speak with your primary care physician. 

Created by a digital healthcare company,  the Cleerly test is a clinically-proven, AI-based digital care platform. It works with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) imaging to help clinicians precisely identify the level of plaque build-up in a patient’s arteries. By transforming one-dimensional pictures taken of the heart by an X-ray machine into a three-dimensional image, CCTA illustrates how blood is flowing through the body. Using a nontoxic dye, the CCTA also reveals arterial blockages. This test highlights personalized risk factors for heart disease along with more comprehensive insights through advanced testing. Of course, Kyla’s at-home test can also provide insights into your biomarkers and relative disease risk including a lipid panel test. One of the important tests delivered by these Kyla Cards is that one that looks at the level of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) in your blood. 

When cholesterol begins building up in the arteries, crystals are formed. The immune system views these crystals as foreign invaders. When it begins attacking these crystals, hsCRP is produced. This biomarker has outsized implications. In a study following some 40,000 women for several decades, those with high-sensitivity CRP  of over 5.18 milligrams per liter of blood were 70% more likely to have a major heart event than those in the lowest level. So discovering a high level of hsCRP in your blood could quite literally save your life.

3. Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels 

Your blood glucose levels are vital biomarkers that indicate how well your body uses food for fuel. These levels indicate how much sugar can be found in your blood. Optimal blood glucose levels when you have not eaten for eight hours are 70 -100 mg/dL (3.9 and 5.6 mmol/L). 

Consistently high blood sugar levels can negatively impact your life expectancy. That’s because not only can it lead to type 2 diabetes but also high blood pressure and obesity. As with lowering cholesterol and achieving normal blood pressure, reducing blood sugar can be accomplished effectively by eating a healthy, plant-based diet that is low in simple carbs like store-bought cookies, cakes, and chips. A regular exercise program is also essential. Keep in mind that Kyla’s at-home testing provides information on glucose levels.

4. Don’t Waste Time, Reduce Your Waist Size

You don’t need a blood test to discover a vital biomarker. This one usually indicates increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and numerous other conditions. To do the test, you only need a tape measure. That’s because measuring your waist circumference will give you an idea not only of the fat you can see (under the skin or subcutaneous fat) but also the fat covering your vital organs (visceral fat). Simply place a tape measure around the largest part of your belly – usually near your navel. If you are male and your measurement is over 40 inches, you are at an increased risk for a variety of chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Women with measurements over 35 are equally at risk. 

Few things shorten life expectancy like a large belly. In fact, one study examined data from over 600,000 people. Those with the highest waist circumference lived on average three fewer years than those with the smallest waist circumference. Women were even more at risk with those having the biggest middle shedding some five years of life expectancy. 

In the study it didn’t matter how old they were, their body mass index, physical activity, smoking history, or use of alcohol. Men with a waist measuring more than 43 inches had 50% higher risk of death than men whose middle measured 37 while women whose waist circumference was 37 inches were 80% more likely to die than those women whose waists were just 27.5 inches around. Clearly the choice is to shed inches or shed years. 

5. Don’t Forget About Hormonal Harmony

Of all the biomarkers, hormones have an outsized impact for predicting health risks and life expectancy. Out of balance hormones can negative affect quality of life. These chemical messengers play a role not only in reproduction but in memory, metabolism, sleep, body mass, and even our moods. That’s why getting them tested regularly is so vital. Kyla Cards include checking levels of estrogen and testosterone levels as part of the Male or Female Hormone Panels. Women can learn about their progesterone levels which are vital for both menstrual health and fertility. Anyone concerned about fertility should check the levels of their follicle stimulating hormone (which affects how the ovaries and testes function) and its partner luteinizing hormone. Kyla’s card also test thyroid and cortisol levels – two other biomarkers that can negatively affect your health and even longevity when they are not at optimal levels. 

Kyla also tests biomarkers for inflammation which as John Thomas Smith, chief medical officer at RejuveAI explained to Hone Health, “Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of aging. It’s implicated in the development of numerous age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and metabolic disorders.”

Keeping your biomarkers where they should be is also vital for metabolic health. Whether or not your body can transform food into fuel and do so effectively and efficiently depends on your metabolic health. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep and reducing stress are vital first steps. However, even if you take these steps it could still be insufficient. That’s why working with a Kyla doctor is so important. After getting your test results back, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with a high qualified healthcare provider. By setting goals and working a plan, you can increase your longevity. 

When you download the Kyla app and enroll in the Anti-Aging program, you will gain insights into your health through AI analytics and advanced testing. 

You’ll not only discover how your lifestyle affects your biomarkers by tracking vital health indicators like primary care and hormone levels, but you will be able to conveniently monitor your data and visualize your progress with graphs. By creating a tailored plan just for you, Kyla will help you improve your biomarkers and lengthen your life. 

Source:

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