Home › Biomarkers › PhenoAge
In young adults with 1 condition, PhenoAge was 0.2 years higher than in people with no condition. With 2 or 3 conditions, it was about 0.6 years higher.[1]
On this page you can read what PhenoAge is, what the guidelines say about a value that is too low or too high, what affects your value and which values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: Phenotypic Age, phenotypic age, biological age. At the lab: n/a.
PhenoAge, short for Phenotypic Age, is a measure of biological age. It is the age in the population that matches your estimated risk of death.[1]
The value is calculated from your calendar age and 9 blood values from standard clinical chemistry. Together, those blood values say something about several systems in your body.[1]
PhenoAge also gives you PhenoAge acceleration. This shows whether your body seems older than expected (a positive value) or younger (a negative value).[1]
Researchers followed adults aged 20 to 84 from the American NHANES IV study, plus 185 people from the oldest group, counted as 85. Follow-up covered 12.6 years.[1]
A higher PhenoAge was linked to a higher risk of death, even after adjusting for age and sex. This held for death from any cause and for almost all individual causes. The exception was death from a condition of the blood vessels in the brain.[1]
The link was also seen in people who seemed healthy: with no reported condition and a normal BMI. It was also seen in the oldest old.[1]
The researchers think the measure could help spot people at higher risk and judge how well an approach works. They do add that further research in other groups is needed.[1]
| Level | Can point to | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| PhenoAge higher than your calendar age (positive acceleration)[1] | Your body seems older than expected; linked to a higher risk of death | Adults in NHANES IV |
| PhenoAge lower than your calendar age (negative acceleration)[1] | Your body seems younger than expected | Adults in NHANES IV |
| Higher PhenoAge in people who seem healthy[1] | A higher risk of death | Participants with no reported condition and a normal BMI |
| Higher PhenoAge in young adults[1] | More conditions: 0.2 years higher with 1 condition, about 0.6 years with 2 or 3 | Young adults in NHANES IV |
Source: Liu and colleagues, PLoS Medicine. A study of adults in the United States (NHANES IV). Not a cut-off value from a guideline.[1]
A PhenoAge above your calendar age may point to a body that seems older than expected. In the study, this was linked to a higher risk of death and to more conditions.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
Your calendar age counts in the calculation. PhenoAge acceleration takes that part out, so you can see whether you seem older or younger than expected.[1]
The result rests on 9 blood values from standard clinical chemistry. If one of those values changes, your PhenoAge changes too.[1]
People with more conditions had a higher PhenoAge on average. The study also found a strong link with the number of conditions a person had.[1]
PhenoAge is included in BioProfile 77, 87, 121 and 150.[2]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 18 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 18 October 2026. Every number on this page comes from one of those sources, with the number of that source next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; once checked, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page explains and does not diagnose. Talk to your GP about a value outside the usual range.
