The Race to Reverse Aging: Inside the Younger Competition

Overview

A novel scientific experiment is challenging conventional notions of time and health by rewarding participants for getting younger. Starting this January, approximately 500 individuals will compete to reverse their biological age over a six-month period. Unlike chronological age, which simply counts the years since birth, biological age reflects the actual condition of a person’s organs and systems.

The competition, titled Younger, was launched by neuroscientist and physician Christin Glorioso, who serves as the founder and CEO of NeuroAge Therapeutics. The event aims to move beyond abstract metrics of aging, offering competitors a tangible leaderboard that tracks progress across multiple dimensions of health. Winners will be determined by those who show the greatest disparity between their chronological and biological age, as well as those who achieve the most significant reversal.

The Science of Aging Clocks

At the heart of the contest is the concept of aging clocks. These are diagnostic tools designed to measure biological age through various methods, including epigenetic markers, protein levels, and lipid profiles in the blood. While more than a hundred such clocks exist, their primary utility has been in scientific research rather than individual healthcare.

“The first goal is to explain to the world what aging clocks are,” Glorioso stated.

Scientists have long used these clocks to study aging and development in humans and other species. However, applying them to estimate the biological age of a single individual remains controversial. Critics argue that the technology is not yet precise enough for personal diagnostics, partly because researchers do not fully understand what each specific clock captures.

Glorioso hopes that the massive dataset generated by the Younger contest will help answer these questions. By aggregating data from hundreds of participants, she aims to create the world’s most comprehensive repository of clock measurements. This could provide critical insights into whether these metrics can reliably predict health outcomes, such as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

How Participants Are Measured

Competitors in the Younger contest utilize a multi-faceted approach to assessment, recognizing that no single metric provides a complete picture of aging. As a standard participant, individuals submit blood spot samples to TruDiagnostic, a company specializing in epigenetic testing. This service reveals an overall biological age, the pace of aging, and the biological ages of 11 distinct organ systems, including the heart and brain.

In addition to blood tests, participants engage in cognitive tasks to receive a brain age score from NeuroAge. They also submit physical measures, such as grip strength, and upload selfies to a Harvard-developed application that estimates facial age. This holistic combination of genetic, functional, and visual data allows for a more robust tracking of health changes over the competition period.

Ultra competitors, who pay a significantly higher entry fee, have access to additional diagnostic tools. These include a broader range of blood tests, MRI scans, and DEXA scans, providing a deeper look into their physiological state. The standard package, however, offers sufficient data to compete on the public leaderboard.

Health Outcomes and Industry Implications

The Younger contest also serves as a platform for testing various longevity interventions. During the competition, some participants may use red-light therapy masks, sauna access, or other low-risk treatments sponsored by partner companies. According to Glorioso, many longevity startups lack the capital to conduct traditional clinical trials, making events like Younger a valuable opportunity to gather preliminary data.

Beyond individual health, Glorioso views the competition as a public health initiative. Research from Harvard Medical School suggests that slowing aging in the general population could yield immense economic benefits. It was estimated that increasing life expectancy by just one year could save the US economy $38 trillion.

“If we could slow down aging in the general population and increase life expectancy by one year, it would save the US economy $38 trillion.”

While the official start date is in January, early interest has been substantial. Around 120 people have already signed up, with expectations that participation will surge after the holiday season. Glorioso noted that many participants prefer to avoid competing during major holidays, choosing instead to focus on preparation after the new year.

Early Results and Skepticism

Baseline measurements have already begun, revealing a wide variance in biological age among participants. Glorioso herself reported a biological age approximately ten years below her chronological age during her initial tests in August. However, the public leaderboard shows even more dramatic discrepancies. One competitor, identified only as @Fred, currently holds the record with a biological age nearly 29 years below their chronological age.

Conversely, not all results are favorable. A 47-year-old participant has been assigned a biological age of 68.1, with particularly poor scores in functional tests such as the ability to stand from a seated position. These variations highlight the current limitations of biological age testing and the ongoing debate regarding its accuracy for individual assessment.

Longevity-focused physician Hillary Lin is among the early participants logging her data. She has observed that previous biological age tests often returned scores lower than her chronological age, a trend she is monitoring closely. As the competition unfolds, these real-world data points will be crucial in determining whether biological age can serve as a reliable gauge for human health and longevity interventions.