New clinical tool offers insight into how fast we age

Published on 10 May 2026

Tracking biological age could help doctors personalise preventive care. A new NUHS clinical tool offers clearer insight into how the body is ageing over time.

At a glance

• As Singapore’s population ages, doctors are rethinking how health risks are assessed, noting that chronological age alone often fails to reflect a person’s true physiological resilience.

• A collaboration between NUHS researchers and clinicians led to the development of LinAge, a biological ageing clock that uses routine clinical data to estimate how fast the body is ageing and uncover hidden risks.

• By offering personalised insight into biological ageing, the tool could support more targeted preventive care, helping patients and doctors intervene before functional decline sets in.

By 2030, nearly one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or older, a demographic shift already reshaping the nation’s healthcare needs. Despite years of public health campaigns promoting regular exercise, healthier diets and routine screening, chronic conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes remain prevalent.

Doctors say part of the challenge lies not in public awareness, but in how health risks are assessed. Two people of the same age might appear equally well during routine check-ups, yet face very different chances of developing disease or losing independence later in life. “Chronological age tells us how many years we’ve lived, but it doesn’t reflect our actual health risks,” said Dr Fong Sheng, Consultant in Geriatric Medicine at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH).

That clinical blind spot prompted researchers and clinicians at the National University Health System (NUHS) to develop LinAge, a biological ageing clock that uses routine clinical data to reveal how fast a person’s body is truly ageing beneath the surface.

Why generic wellness advice falls short

Singaporeans track steps, sleep and diet more closely than ever before. Yet long-term health risks often remain hidden. Nearly one in three adults live with conditions such as hypertension or high cholesterol, which can develop silently over decades and cause irreversible damage before symptoms appear. 

While sustained national efforts such as the War on Diabetes and other healthy living campaigns have delivered slight improvements in markers such as the prevalence of diabetes, obesity rates have continued to rise, average sodium intake hovers well above recommended levels, and screening uptake for some cancers remains lower than expected.

The crux of the issue may lie in the absence of personalised feedback, rather than a lack of information. Generic advice provides individuals little indication of whether daily efforts, such as dietary changes or regular exercise, are genuinely improving long-term health. Motivation often wanes when individuals lack clarity about whether their efforts are yielding results.

This gap, experts said, pointed to the need for a more targeted way to track how the body responds to preventive efforts.

Tracking how the body truly ages

Chronological age reflects only the number of years a person has lived. Biological age, by contrast, captures how the body is ageing physiologically and how resilient it remains to illness and functional decline.

LinAge integrates routine clinical data, including laboratory tests, physical measures and health questionnaires, into a single score that estimates biological age. This allows doctors to detect signs of accelerated ageing that may not be evident in standard assessments. Two individuals of similar chronological age can have markedly different biological profiles. Dr Fong explained that some patients may appear well on the surface but actually have low systemic resilience.

“We have seen patients whose biological or risk‑equivalent age is closer to 85, even though they are much younger by calendar age,” he said. “This signals a higher short-term risk of mortality and functional decline.”

Separating risk from resilience

This distinction allows healthcare resources to be directed more precisely at those most at risk. Older adults who are biologically robust may not require the same intensity of intervention, while those ageing faster can be identified earlier for closer monitoring and preventive care.

For patients, clinicians said, biological age also transformed an abstract concept into a clearer, trackable marker of health over time.

A speedometer for daily health habits

Doctors liken LinAge to a clinical speedometer. By tracking biological age over time, clinicians can assess whether a patient’s ageing trajectory is improving alongside lifestyle changes and medical treatment.

This makes it possible to show patients whether actions such as strength training, dietary adjustments or medication optimisation are translating into measurable improvements in biological health.

“LinAge turns routine clinical data into an actionable measure of biological age, so doctors can act earlier and with more confidence,” Dr Fong said.

For older adults, particularly the growing proportion aged 65 and above, the tool offers reassurance that daily efforts to stay active and healthy are producing real benefits rather than relying on guesswork.

Preparing for a super-aged society

By the end of the decade, older adults will make up nearly a quarter of Singapore’s population. Clinicians said supporting healthy longevity would be critical to sustaining both the healthcare system and the wider economy.

Tools such as LinAge align with the national shift towards preventive care. By identifying biological risk earlier, doctors can intensify surveillance, identify hidden disease and intervene before symptoms become severe.

“Care shifts towards earlier detection and targeted intervention, rather than reacting after disease has already taken hold,” Dr Fong said.

Reducing the long‑term caregiving burden, he added, begins with empowering individuals to understand their biological health. By delaying functional decline and improving healthspan, clinicians hope more Singaporeans can spend their later years thriving, rather than merely surviving.

In consultation with Dr Fong Sheng, Consultant, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, NTFGH.