The short answer: in a Yale-led analysis of 51 intervention studies, a healthy diet combined with exercise consistently lowered epigenetic age, a lab estimate of biological age. Prescription drugs, including metformin, semaglutide and anti-TNF therapies, showed the largest decreases, but these are medicines for specific health conditions, so any question about them belongs with your prescriber. Over-the-counter supplements and certain medical procedures showed no measurable effect in the sample studied. We suggest starting one simple written list today. A clear record of what you eat, how you move, how you sleep and what you take makes every conversation with a pharmacist or doctor much easier.
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What did the Yale study actually measure?
The work comes from the Higgins-Chen lab at the Yale School of Medicine. Raghav Sehgal is the first author, and Albert Higgins-Chen is the senior author. According to the Yale News release, dated August 21, 2026, the team combined data from 51 anti-aging intervention studies. They measured more than 110 DNA methylation biomarkers, including 16 major epigenetic clocks.
An epigenetic clock is a calculation built on DNA methylation, the chemical tags attached to DNA that change as people age. A 2025 Aging and Disease review describes these clocks as tools that estimate biological age from those patterns. The same review says clock accuracy is affected by genetic background, lifestyle, environmental exposures and technical variability. For how far a single reading can be trusted, read are biological age tests accurate.
Quick facts, as of 2026-11-14
| Item | What the sources report | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Study size | Analysis of 51 intervention studies, comparing biological ages before and after each intervention | Yale News release |
| Measures | More than 110 DNA methylation biomarkers, including 16 major epigenetic clocks | Yale News release |
| Sample type | Mainly blood-based biomarkers | ScienceDaily repost |
| Intervention groups | Prescription drugs, lifestyle changes, over-the-counter supplements and medical procedures | Yale News release |
| Journal | The paper appears in Nature Medicine | Yale News release |
| Lead researchers | Raghav Sehgal, first author; Albert Higgins-Chen, senior author; both at Yale | Yale News release |
What actually lowered the clock in the study?
The Yale release reports results for four groups of interventions. Here is what it says about each one.
| Intervention group | What the study found |
|---|---|
| Healthy diet plus exercise | Consistently decreased epigenetic age. The diets studied were Mediterranean, low-fat and low-carb. The release says additional research is needed to further validate the findings. |
| Prescription drugs: metformin, semaglutide, anti-TNF therapies | Decreased epigenetic age the most of the four groups. The release describes metformin and semaglutide as prescribed for metabolic control and weight management, and anti-TNF therapies as aimed at an immune protein that sets off harmful inflammation. |
| Over-the-counter supplements | No measurable effect on epigenetic age in the sample tested |
| Certain medical procedures | No effect on epigenetic age, according to the analysis |
The Yale release also says biomarkers changed more in people with diseases than in healthy volunteers, and that newer biological age clocks outperformed older models. Sehgal told the Medical News Today article that “there is not yet a single intervention proven to broadly slow aging in humans.” He added: “The best-supported measures remain fairly unglamorous: not smoking, exercising regularly, eating well, sleeping adequately, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.”
Are metformin, semaglutide and anti-TNF drugs a way to slow aging?
Outside expert Şebnem Ünlüişler, Chief Longevity Officer at the London Regenerative Institute and not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that “the findings involving metformin, semaglutide and anti-TNF therapies are scientifically interesting, but they should not be interpreted as evidence that these medications should be taken by healthy people to slow aging.” She also said some of the studies involved specific patient groups, so the changes may partly reflect better control of the underlying disease, inflammation or metabolic health.
If you or a parent take one of these medicines, bring the question to your prescriber or pharmacist. Any question about changing a medicine goes to the prescriber first.
What about supplements and medical procedures?
The Yale release says over-the-counter supplements and certain medical procedures “didn’t have an effect” on epigenetic age in its analysis. The supplement part covered only a sample of over-the-counter products, so the result speaks to that sample. If a multivitamin is part of your routine, our guide to multivitamin healthy aging walks through what the research shows.
Does a lower clock reading mean a longer life?
The researchers say these clock readings are not yet validated as predictors of long-term health. An epigenetic clock reading is a lab measure, not a measured gain in lifespan.
The Yale release lists open questions. Some changes may come from hidden factors rather than the treatment. It is also unclear how fast changes happen, whether they last after an intervention ends, and what the biological mechanism is. Higgins-Chen put the central question this way: “what does the change mean for our long-term risk of age-related disease and functional decline?” He also wrote that “the true meaning of that change must be fully understood.” Sehgal said the next step is testing in a larger, more diverse group of volunteers.
Sehgal told Medical News Today: “We still need to show that changes in these measures actually translate into people staying healthier, functioning better, or living longer.” For the claims that circulate about slowing aging, our guide to longevity myths sorts out what research actually shows.
Key dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Oct. 28, 2024 | Epigenetic testing company TruDiagnostic issued a TruDiagnostic’s 2024 press release about a Yale and TruDiagnostic study of 51 interventions. The company says its own clocks performed best. |
| Aug. 21, 2026 | The Yale News release by Karen Guzman was published, and says the paper appears in Nature Medicine. |
| Nov. 13, 2026 | ScienceDaily posted ScienceDaily repost of the August research under the title “Yale scientists reveal what really slows aging and what doesn’t.” |
Who should pay the most attention to this research?
- Adults who want to know whether daily habits matter. The study’s most consistent finding is about diet and exercise together, and the researchers still want more testing.
- People taking or considering metformin, semaglutide or anti-TNF medicines. These are prescribed for specific conditions. Your prescriber is the right person for any question about them.
- Families sorting out a parent’s medicines and supplements. A written list of every medicine and supplement, with doses, is the first thing a pharmacist will ask for.
- Researchers and clinicians. The Yale release says the biomarkers still need validation in larger, more diverse groups.
Common mix-ups to avoid
- Biological age is not the same as years lived. The Yale release describes biomarkers as measurable indicators of a person’s functional or biological age, rather than just the number of years lived.
- The 2024 release and the 2026 Yale release share numbers and researchers. The 2024 TruDiagnostic press release describes 51 interventions and 110 biomarkers, and names Higgins-Chen and Sehgal among the researchers. The 2026 Yale release describes 51 studies, more than 110 biomarkers, and the same two researchers. The 2024 release comes from a company that sells epigenetic tests, and it says its own clocks performed best. The 2026 Yale release describes newer clocks in general, not any company’s test.
- A 2026 date is not a 2026 discovery. The ScienceDaily post is dated November 13, 2026, but it repeats research the Yale release announced on August 21, 2026.
- Older studies asked a different question. A Harvard Medical School news item on an earlier study led by Steve Horvath reports that a higher biological age, regardless of chronological age, consistently predicted an earlier death. The 2026 study asks which treatments move the clock.
- “Supplements don’t work” is too broad. The result covers the over-the-counter sample the team tested, not every supplement.
Questions to settle your next step
Take these questions to your next call with a prescriber or pharmacist.
- Is any medicine I take one of the types studied, such as metformin, semaglutide or anti-TNF therapy, and what is each one prescribed for?
- What should I know before any change to my medicines, and who should I contact first?
- Which of my supplements should we review together, and what is each one for?
- Given my health history, which diet and activity changes are a sensible starting point for me?
- Which of my conditions should be monitored more closely?
Start a simple log today. Keep one page with one line a day: the date, what you ate, how you moved, how you slept, every medicine and supplement with its dose, and anything you noticed that changed. Bring it to every appointment.
If a parent has a new fall, new confusion, or a change in medicines, contact their clinician soon. Don’t wait for a research article to answer that.
By the Senior Safety Desk Editorial Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.