GlycanAge® is a biological age test that analyzes the state of the immune system and inflammation. It integrates genetic, epigenetic and environmental aspects of aging. With GlycanAge® you can measure the effect of your lifestyle on your immune system.
GlycanAge® determines biological age by analyzing the state of the immune system and inflammation. For this purpose, it analyzes glycans bound to the IgG antibody, which is the most common antibody in blood. By measuring its transition from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory state and vice versa, our overall health status and thus our biological age can be determined.
Figure 1. GlycanAge: Making prevention possible. Credits: GlycanAge.
What are glycans?
Glycans are sugar molecules that surround and modify proteins in the organism. They respond to lifestyle habits and signal the inflammatory state of the immune system, which in turn determines biological age. Glycans have a great influence on the biology of each individual and are regulated almost equally by genes and aging, on the one hand, and by lifestyle habits and environment, on the other.
How do glycans affect health and aging?
Glycans play a vital role in keeping us healthy, but they are also implicated in most major diseases. As we age, the balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory glycans in our body changes.
Various inflammatory factors, such as excessive or inadequate diet, hormonal changes, environment, ethnicity, etc., can cause an imbalance between these glycans. This results in low-grade systemic inflammation that can accelerate the aging process and increase the risk of many diseases.
How does GlycanAge® determine biological age?
GlycanAge® determines biological age by analyzing the state of the immune system and inflammation. It does this by analyzing the glycans bound to the most common antibody in the blood, immunoglobulin G or IgG. The type of glycans bound to IgG can change its function from proinflammatory to anti-inflammatory and vice versa. We need both functions to have a strong immune system, but the balance between them will determine our overall health status and, consequently, our biological age.
Are biological age tests accurate?
The accuracy of biological age testing is measured in three ways:
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Are the results relevant to long-term health?
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Are the results reliable with low measurement repeat error?
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Are the results personalized and relevant to me based on my age, gender and background?
GlycanAge® meets all three criteria. It is well associated with predicting future health problems and future risk of hospitalization. It puts quality and accuracy first, and performs multiple tests on each sample to ensure that the results are a reliable measure of biological age, with a margin of error of less than 1%.
Any change in your score reflects a true biological change, not a margin of error. GlycanAge® was developed from over 30 years of research, with results in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and is based on a strong base of 200,000 samples from some of the world's best biobanks, with a broad representation of different ages, genders and ethnicities.
What is the difference between GlycanAge® and other biological age tests?
GlycanAge® is unique among aging clocks. It integrates genetic, epigenetic and environmental aspects of aging and responds to lifestyle interventions. Epigenetic clocks, for example, do not respond to caloric restriction or weight loss. GlycanAge® does.
Numerous studies demonstrate that lifestyle interventions known to be beneficial to health and aging measurably reverse glycan aging. This makes it an ideal measure for the evaluation of longevity interventions.
Does GlycanAge® measure glycation?
No, GlycanAge® does not measure glycation. Instead, it measures glycosylation.
Glycation occurs when glucose binds to proteins as a random chemical process, whereas glycosylation is a highly regulated process that adds a specific type of sugar to a specific part of a protein during protein synthesis.
Sometimes, different types of sugars can be added to the same part of a protein. This is like spelling different words with the same letters, or how people with different eye colors can have the same vision. This variation in sugar types is a bit like how genetic mutations can create different versions of genes. But in the case of sugar structures, this variation is inherited from several genes, not just one.
What do I need to take the GlycanAge® test?
Preparation
Age:
18 years and older.
Children and young adults have a specific IgG glycan profile; therefore, the GlycanAge® test is not recommended for children under 18 years of age.
Preparation:
It is not necessary to fast before blood sampling. We advise to abstain from alcohol and high fat foods for 8 hours prior to blood collection. Although this will not have a direct impact on the result, it may interfere with the quality of the blood sample.
Recommendations:
Drink plenty of water: Being hydrated makes it easier to draw the blood sample.
Warm up: A hot shower or jumping on the floor for one minute makes it easier to draw the blood sample.
Duration:
30 min.
Type of diagnosis:
Blood sample. Digital puncture.
Delivery of results:
3-5 weeks.
Frequency:
If you just want to find out how you are aging biologically, one test per year is sufficient.
The two tests per year option is popular with people who are making lifestyle changes and would like to track their progress.
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Detail
How is the test performed?
GlycanAge® is a fingerstick blood test: A healthcare professional will use a lancet to prick your finger and collect the blood sample (you will only need to provide four large drops of blood).
This type of test is less invasive than a venous sample. The area where the lancet is stuck may be a little tender afterwards, but overall the process is very simple and straightforward.
How are your results analyzed?
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Glycan analysis:
Twenty-nine structures are analyzed from your blood sample to determine your unique glycan composition.
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Grouping of data in indexes:
The structures analyzed are grouped into indices. Some indexes favor chronic inflammation, while others protect you from it.
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GlycanAge® calculation:
Your data is combined and weighed to calculate your GlycanAge®: A unique number that represents the current age of your immune system.
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Results
What do my GlycanAge® results mean?
GlycanAge® analyzes 29 different glycan structures from the blood sample. The related structures are grouped into 5 indices.
Your results are compared with those of people of the same age group, biological sex and ethnicity.
Anti-inflammatory indexes
These indexes protect against chronic inflammation, so it is better to have more of them. Their main characteristic is that they contain galactose and sialic acid.
Figure 2. Example of anti-inflammatory indices.
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Glicano Youth
The Youth glycan represents glycans with two galactoses. We call this index "Youth" because we are abundant in these glycans when we are young. Galactose allows for the addition of sialic acid, but we will talk about that later.
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Glycan Shield (Defense)
Shield glycan represents glycans with sialic acid - your best defense against chronic inflammation. Sialylated glycans protect against cell damage resulting from overactive natural killer cell activation.
Pro-inflammatory index
This index favors chronic inflammation, so it is better to have less. Its main characteristic is the lack of galactoses. The process of galactose loss occurs naturally as we age, but also due to an unhealthy lifestyle.
Figure 3. Example of pro-inflammatory index.
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Glycan Mature
Mature glycan represents glycans that are missing galactoses. As we age, our glycans age with us. During that process, glycans lose galactoses. This shifts them from protecting us against chronic inflammation to causing it.
Support indexes
These indices are not strictly pro- or anti-inflammatory. These indices may help to reduce associations with specific types of diseases, genetic traits or some lifestyle habits, but they do not influence overall biological age.
Figure 4. Example of support indices.
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Glicano Lifestyle (Lifestyle)
Lifestyle glycan represents glycans that have a bisection modification. A good score on this index is an indicator of a positive lifestyle, whereas a poor score is usually related to smoking and obesity.
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Glycan Median
The Median glycan represents glycans with one galactose. This index is highly gene-dependent. It describes to what extent your body is prepared to produce glycans correctly.
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Optimal health
What factors affect the composition of our glycans?
Aging (40%):
When we are young, our glycan composition is rich in glycans with sialic acid. As we age, glycans tend to lose arms, i.e. sialic acids and galactoses. This causes them to change function from preventing chronic inflammation to promoting it.
Genetics (40%):
Our glycan composition is partly inherited. Research in cohorts around the world shows that different ethnic groups age differently.
Lifestyle (20%):
Our lifestyle choices play a critical role in our configuration. Nutrition, exercise, stress and medical interventions all affect the composition of our glycans. This is great news, as it gives us the opportunity to influence them.
What is the next step?
If you are not a Cenegenics Wellness member and would like to understand your results and receive personalized recommendations, we can arrange a consultation or video consultation with a team specialist for an additional cost. Our specialist will work with you to discover where you may need help to improve. Contact us and we will be happy to arrange the consultation.
Clemens Wittenbecher, et al. (2020). Plasma N-Glycans as Emerging Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Risk: A Prospective Investigation in the EPIC-Potsdam Cohort Study. Diabetes Care 1 March 2020; 43 (3): 661-668 . https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-1507.
Jun Peng, et al. (October 10, 2019). Supplementation With the Sialic Acid Precursor N-Acetyl-D-Mannosamine Breaks the Link Between Obesity and Hypertension. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.043490
Martin, T. C., et al. Decreased Immunoglobulin G Core Fucosylation, A Player in Antibody-dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity, is Associated with Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases. Molecular & cellular proteomics: MCP, 19 (5), 774-792 . https://doi.org/10.1074/mcp.RA119.001860.
Menni, C., et al. (2018). Glycosylation Profile of Immunoglobulin G Is Cross-Sectionally Associated With Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Two Independent Cohorts. Circulation research, 122 (11), 1555-1564 . https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.312174.
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Qin, R., Yang, Y., Chen, H., et al. (2020) Prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic efficacy in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer by serum IgG glycomics profiling. Clin Proteom 17, 4. https://doi. org/10.1186/s12014-020-9267-8
Trbojevic Akmacic, Irena, et al. (June 1, 2015). Inflammatory Bowel Disease Associates with Proinflammatory Potential of the Immunoglobulin G Glycome, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 21, Issue 6, Pages 1237-1247. https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000372
Vuckovic, F., Krištic, J., et al. (2015), Association of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Decreased Immunosuppressive Potential of the IgG Glycome. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 67: 2978-2989 . https://doi.org/10.1002/art.39273.
Zou, Xia, et al. (2020). Glycomic Signatures of Plasma IgG Improve Preoperative Prediction of the Invasiveness of Small Lung Nodules. Molecules 25, no. 1: 28. https://doi. org/10.3390/molecules25010028
