Do you know your biological age? How does one learn their biological age and how is it different from your chronological age? The answer lies in our epigenetics, which is how you live your life! 

In this fascinating episode of Salad with a Side of Fries, Jenn welcomes Hannah Went, co-founder of TruDiagnostic, to explore the science behind biological age testing. Together, they dive into the cutting-edge world of epigenetics, methylation, and the role of lifestyle in optimizing health. From understanding how epigenetic markers can predict disease risks to uncovering how simple changes can slow aging, this episode is packed with insights that could transform how you think about your health and longevity. 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [1:57 ] What is your biological age?
• [6:04 ]  Hannah describes epigenetics and what they target in the blood through various tests.
• [9:54 ] What is methylation?
• [12:53 ] How is epigenetic testing different from Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos?
• [15:38 ] What are the privacy implications of taking these tests, and what can the tests reveal?
• [22:49 ] Studies around epigenetic information.
• [25:42 ] Slowing the progression of biomarkers that create disease.
• [29:05 ] Lifestyle changes can positively impact stress and overall health
• [32:19 ] There is power in testing.
• [33:39 ] Choosing the most compatible testing company.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Genetics and epigenetics offer complementary insights into human biology. Genetics represents the fixed "hardware" inherited equally from each parent, while epigenetics is the dynamic "software" influenced by interactions with the environment and personal behaviors. Unlike static genetic markers, epigenetic markers are often changeable, though some—like imprint markers—may be inherited, presenting exciting opportunities for biomarker discovery.
• While the classification of aging as a disease may be debated, it's clear that biological age clocks are becoming powerful tools for detecting disease signals. For example, one clock has shown 92% accuracy in predicting mortality, compared to 72% for chronological age. These biomarkers are improving and will soon include methylation risk scores for specific diseases, helping to assess individual disease risks more precisely. Aging may serve as a general indicator, providing valuable insights into disease likelihood and guiding interventions for better health outcomes.
• Aging and health assessments, like biological age testing, can serve as a valuable wake-up call, especially for those with room for improvement in their health and lifestyle. While biohacking and excessive supplementation are popular, they often lack clarity and balance, making it difficult to pinpoint what’s truly effective. Simplicity is vital—maintaining a balanced approach is more beneficial than overloading the body with too many interventions, which can disrupt homeostasis and lead to less favorable results.

QUOTES: 

[6:19 ] “I like to break down the word. So epi is a Greek prefix that actually just means above or on top of. So we're quite literally just looking on top of your genetics.” Hannah Went

[7:25 ] “You can change your epigenetics and control your health. You can no longer blame, you know, your predisposition for disease based on your second cousins.” Hannah Went

 [7:40 ] “We are in control of our health. Genetics are this predisposition, but not a determining, inherent absolute.” Jenn Trepeck

[12:14 ] “Epigenetics is actually a better marker in some cases in terms of disease predictability, odds ratios, hazard ratio and that’s the point of the biomarker. How close can we get to that disease prediction?” Hannah Went

[14:03 ] “Epigenetic tests are not a replacement for traditional lab tests. Instead, they're just providing a unique layer of insight into how your environment and lifestyle may be affecting your particular genes.” Hannah Went

[27:18 ] “We can look at these results and let it be a wake up call to say,  I may have different data so, I might want to make some lifestyle changes.” Jenn Trepeck

[33:09 ] “You see things on social media nowadays, like ‘food is medicine’. ‘You are what you eat’. ‘Your DNA is not your destiny’.  That's epigenetics. They're quite literally describing epigenetics without saying the word.” Hannah Went

[35:06 ] “People get confused between what's truly genetic and what is inherited lifestyle. Something might run in your family, that doesn't necessarily mean it's genetic because the other thing that runs in families is lifestyle choices and habits.” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Nutrition Nuggets for Epigenetics Episode

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Everything Epigenetics - Podcast

Trudiagnostic - Website

Everything Epigenetics - Instagram

Everything Epi - Twitter

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: 

Hannah Went has a lifelong passion for longevity and breakthrough, disruptive technologies that drive radical improvement to the human condition. She attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a degree in Biology. She had multiple research internships studying cell signaling and cell biology then. After graduation, she worked for the International Peptide Society as their Director of Research and Content. Through work in the integrative medicine industry, Hannah saw an opportunity for methylation-based age diagnostics and started TruDiagnostic in 2020. TruDiagnostic focuses on methylation array-based diagnostics for life extension and preventive healthcare, serving functional medicine providers. TruDiagnostic is committed to research, with over 30 approved clinical trials investigating epigenetic methylation changes in longevity and health interventions. Since TruDiagnostic’s inception, they have created one of the world's largest private epigenetic health databases, with over 75,000 patients tested. Hannah has since created Everything Epigenetics, sharing insights on how DNA regulation impacts health.