Biological Age (PhenoAge) is a research-derived measure that estimates how your client's physiology compares with their chronological age.
Rather than looking at a single biomarker in isolation, PhenoAge combines multiple blood biomarkers into a single calculated score, providing an additional perspective on overall physiological health.
It is designed to complement — not replace — interpretation of the individual pathology results.
How is Biological Age calculated?
Vively calculates Biological Age using the published PhenoAge algorithm.
The calculation combines your client's chronological age with the following blood biomarkers:
Albumin
Creatinine
Glucose
C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP or CRP)
Lymphocyte Percentage
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW)
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
White Blood Cell Count (WBC)
These biomarkers are combined to generate a calculated Biological Age (PhenoAge).
What does Biological Age tell me?
Biological Age is intended to provide an additional way of understanding overall health.
A Biological Age that is:
lower than chronological age may indicate healthier overall physiology
similar to chronological age suggests physiology broadly aligns with age expectations
higher than chronological age may indicate greater physiological burden.
Importantly, Biological Age should always be interpreted alongside the individual biomarkers, your client's history and your own clinical judgement.
It should not be interpreted in isolation.
Is this a DNA test?
No.
Vively's Biological Age is calculated using blood biomarkers through the published PhenoAge algorithm.
It is not a DNA methylation (epigenetic) test and does not require genetic testing.
Why do practitioners use Biological Age?
Many practitioners find Biological Age useful because it provides clients with an easy-to-understand summary of overall physiological health.
It can help:
explain the impact of lifestyle and health behaviours
support discussions around preventative health
demonstrate progress over time
improve client engagement
complement interpretation of individual biomarkers.
Many practitioners use Biological Age as a conversation starter before exploring the individual pathology results in greater detail.
Why is tracking Biological Age over time important?
While a single Biological Age provides useful context, the greatest value often comes from monitoring changes over time.
Repeat testing allows practitioners to observe whether Biological Age is moving in the desired direction alongside improvements in the underlying biomarkers.
This can help demonstrate the impact of nutrition, exercise, sleep and other lifestyle interventions.
When won't Biological Age be available?
The PhenoAge algorithm requires all of the necessary biomarkers to be available.
If one or more required biomarkers were not included in the final pathology request, Biological Age cannot be calculated.
Where this occurs, the Practitioner Dashboard will indicate that Biological Age is unavailable for that result.
Frequently asked questions
Is Biological Age a diagnosis?
No.
Biological Age is a research-derived summary measure designed to complement clinical assessment.
It should not be used as a diagnosis or as the sole basis for clinical decision-making.
Does Biological Age predict how long someone will live?
No.
While the PhenoAge algorithm was developed using population-level research, it is not designed to predict an individual person's lifespan or life expectancy.
Why doesn't my client have a Biological Age?
Biological Age can only be calculated when all required biomarkers are available.
If one or more required biomarkers were not included in the pathology results, a Biological Age will not be displayed.
Can I use Biological Age to monitor progress?
Yes.
Many practitioners find Biological Age most valuable when comparing results across multiple pathology tests, allowing them to monitor changes over time alongside the underlying biomarkers.
Practitioner Support
If you have questions about Biological Age or how it is calculated, we're here to help.
📧 Email: contact@vively.com.au
Our Practitioner Support team aims to respond as quickly as possible during business hours.