How does TallyAge™ differ from other tests?Updated 7 months ago

While there are many ways to provide insights into biological age - such as by tracking movement or measuring clinical markers in blood - tests based on DNA methylation are thought to represent the gold standard. Compared to other DNA methylation tests, which are often done in blood, TallyAge™ non-invasively collects cheek cells. TallyAge™ was also uniquely created to incorporate holistic lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, sleep, mental health, and different habits. Lastly, Tally’s test was created using an exceptionally large cohort that spanned a wide age range, was gender-balanced, and had considerable racial/ethnic diversity.

If someone takes different epigenetic age tests - such as a blood test from one company and a cheek swab test from another company - they're likely to see different results. One reason for this is that each aging clock is trained on a unique population of people that span a specific age range and have a particular distribution of ages. A model trained on only young people, for example, may not have a good understanding of what a typical DNA methylation profile is for an older individual. In contrast, a model trained on an age-diverse cohort - such as the TallyAge™ Test - will have a better understanding of what a representative DNA methylation profile is for a given age.