Reduce the Daily Strain Associated with Faster Biological Aging Your biological age reflects the cumulative strain placed on your cells and tissues over time. I recommend focusing first on the daily exposures and habits that interfere with cellular energy production, metabolic health, and your body's ability to repair itself. You don't need to change everything at once. Pick one step, make it consistent, and build from there. 1.Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — Start by reducing one of the most common sources of metabolic strain: excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils. My narrative review, published in Nutrients, explores the explosion of LA intake over the last century and how skyrocketing levels have altered the metabolic landscape of the modern world.4 Check ingredient labels for soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils, which appear throughout packaged foods, restaurant meals, and sauces. High intake of these polyunsaturated fats may push your cells toward less efficient energy pathways — the metabolic equivalent of running a car engine on the wrong fuel. It still runs, but it generates more exhaust and more wear. Replace these products with simple whole foods you prepare yourself. For cooking fats, choose tallow, ghee, or grass fed butter. If you eat restaurant food often, your first challenge is simple: Prepare one additional meal at home each day. Every meal you control gives you another opportunity to reduce your exposure to ingredients that work against healthy cellular energy production. A daily LA target below 5 grams may support healthier metabolic signaling over time. I recommend signing up for my Pax health platform, which includes two features — Food Buddy and Seed Oil Sleuth — that can help identify hidden sources of LA in your diet and estimate your total daily intake. 2.Give your cells enough carbohydrates to produce energy efficiently — Most adults need about 250 grams of targeted carbohydrates per day, with higher amounts for active individuals. Healthy carbohydrates from whole foods support steady cellular energy production instead of repeated crashes. If your gut health is compromised, with regular bloating or irregular bowel habits, begin with easier-to-digest carbohydrates like whole fruit and white rice. If your digestion is on track, root vegetables and properly prepared starches and grains work well for many people. Increase carbs gradually instead of forcing large amounts of fiber all at once. 3.Build and preserve muscle with enough protein and daily movement — Your muscles support metabolic health, physical resilience, and healthy aging. Aim for about 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound (or 1.32 to 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with one-third coming from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth. Pair adequate nutrition with regular movement. Walk daily, limit prolonged periods of sitting, and add strength training twice a week. If you're inactive now, start small. Track your walking time for one week, then set a goal to gradually work toward about one hour per day. 4.Protect your circadian rhythm and use sunlight wisely — Your sleep-wake cycle affects metabolic health and cellular energy production. Get natural outdoor light early in the day and reduce bright artificial light at night. Consistent light exposure at the right times helps your body maintain the daily rhythms that support sleep and repair. Sunlight also supports vitamin D production, nitric oxide release, mitochondrial melatonin, and cellular energy. Melatonin is produced primarily inside your mitochondria in response to near-infrared light exposure, which is one reason why natural sunlight matters here in a way indoor light does not. Avoid intense sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until you've reduced seed oil intake for at least four to six months, since high LA levels increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. Once you have reduced your seed oil intake, solar noon is the optimal time for sun exposure. 5.Reduce your daily exposure to environmental toxins — The research points toward biological aging as a reflection of many exposures that build over time, including environmental toxins. Start with the exposures you encounter every day. Run a high-quality air purifier in the room where you sleep to reduce the pollutants you breathe for hours each night. Use a high-quality filtration system designed to remove fluoride, along with other environmental chemicals and pesticide residues. Cut your contact with plastics as well. Store food and drinks in glass whenever practical, avoid heating food in plastic containers, and don't drink from plastic water bottles, especially those that have been left in a hot car. Heat increases the release of chemicals from plastic, adding to your cumulative exposure. Spend regular time outdoors in green spaces, too, as a simple way to reduce the stress burden on your body. You don't need to eliminate every environmental exposure at once. Focus first on the ones you encounter most often, then reduce them one by one. I recommend viewing this process as a long-term effort to restore the conditions your cells need to produce energy efficiently. You can't change your chronological age, but your daily choices influence the metabolic and environmental strain placed on your cells. Small improvements that you sustain give you a practical way to address the cumulative factors associated with faster biological aging.

★ TOP STORY

Is Your Body Aging Faster Than You Are?

Your birthday may reveal far less about your health than you think. Researchers found another measure of aging tied to striking differences in the risk of several cancers.

Reduce the Daily Strain Associated with Faster Biological Aging

Your biological age reflects the cumulative strain placed on your cells and tissues over time. I recommend focusing first on the daily exposures and habits that interfere with cellular energy production, metabolic health, and your body's ability to repair itself. You don't need to change everything at once. Pick one step, make it consistent, and build from there.

1.Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — Start by reducing one of the most common sources of metabolic strain: excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils. My narrative review, published in Nutrients, explores the explosion of LA intake over the last century and how skyrocketing levels have altered the metabolic landscape of the modern world.4

Check ingredient labels for soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils, which appear throughout packaged foods, restaurant meals, and sauces. High intake of these polyunsaturated fats may push your cells toward less efficient energy pathways — the metabolic equivalent of running a car engine on the wrong fuel. It still runs, but it generates more exhaust and more wear.

Replace these products with simple whole foods you prepare yourself. For cooking fats, choose tallow, ghee, or grass fed butter. If you eat restaurant food often, your first challenge is simple: Prepare one additional meal at home each day. Every meal you control gives you another opportunity to reduce your exposure to ingredients that work against healthy cellular energy production.

A daily LA target below 5 grams may support healthier metabolic signaling over time. I recommend signing up for my Pax health platform, which includes two features — Food Buddy and Seed Oil Sleuth — that can help identify hidden sources of LA in your diet and estimate your total daily intake.

2.Give your cells enough carbohydrates to produce energy efficiently — Most adults need about 250 grams of targeted carbohydrates per day, with higher amounts for active individuals. Healthy carbohydrates from whole foods support steady cellular energy production instead of repeated crashes.

If your gut health is compromised, with regular bloating or irregular bowel habits, begin with easier-to-digest carbohydrates like whole fruit and white rice. If your digestion is on track, root vegetables and properly prepared starches and grains work well for many people. Increase carbs gradually instead of forcing large amounts of fiber all at once.

3.Build and preserve muscle with enough protein and daily movement — Your muscles support metabolic health, physical resilience, and healthy aging. Aim for about 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound (or 1.32 to 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with one-third coming from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth.

Pair adequate nutrition with regular movement. Walk daily, limit prolonged periods of sitting, and add strength training twice a week. If you're inactive now, start small. Track your walking time for one week, then set a goal to gradually work toward about one hour per day.

4.Protect your circadian rhythm and use sunlight wisely — Your sleep-wake cycle affects metabolic health and cellular energy production. Get natural outdoor light early in the day and reduce bright artificial light at night. Consistent light exposure at the right times helps your body maintain the daily rhythms that support sleep and repair.

Sunlight also supports vitamin D production, nitric oxide release, mitochondrial melatonin, and cellular energy. Melatonin is produced primarily inside your mitochondria in response to near-infrared light exposure, which is one reason why natural sunlight matters here in a way indoor light does not.

Avoid intense sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until you've reduced seed oil intake for at least four to six months, since high LA levels increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. Once you have reduced your seed oil intake, solar noon is the optimal time for sun exposure.

5.Reduce your daily exposure to environmental toxins — The research points toward biological aging as a reflection of many exposures that build over time, including environmental toxins. Start with the exposures you encounter every day. Run a high-quality air purifier in the room where you sleep to reduce the pollutants you breathe for hours each night. Use a high-quality filtration system designed to remove fluoride, along with other environmental chemicals and pesticide residues.

Cut your contact with plastics as well. Store food and drinks in glass whenever practical, avoid heating food in plastic containers, and don't drink from plastic water bottles, especially those that have been left in a hot car. Heat increases the release of chemicals from plastic, adding to your cumulative exposure.

Spend regular time outdoors in green spaces, too, as a simple way to reduce the stress burden on your body. You don't need to eliminate every environmental exposure at once. Focus first on the ones you encounter most often, then reduce them one by one.

I recommend viewing this process as a long-term effort to restore the conditions your cells need to produce energy efficiently. You can't change your chronological age, but your daily choices influence the metabolic and environmental strain placed on your cells. Small improvements that you sustain give you a practical way to address the cumulative factors associated with faster biological aging.