Kuku Growth Turns Out To Show The Real Age Of The Body

JAKARTA - Determining how old our bodies actually don't always have to be using sophisticated medical devices. According to Dr. David Sinclair, a genetics expert and researcher for aging from Harvard Medical School, answers about longevity can be hidden in a very simple way, namely how often you cut your nails.

In one episode of the Lifespan podcast, Dr. Sinclair conveys interesting thoughts about the relationship between nail growth and biological age. He emphasized that nails are not just part of body cosmetics, but an active indicator that reflects the condition of a person's cell regeneration.

"Every time I cut my nails, I noticed how quickly the nails grew again. It was a simple way to assess how my body cells perform," Sinclair said in the podcast, quoted from the page The Economic Times.

Unlike the chronological age, age based on a calculation of years, biological age refers to how well the body functions internally. The sooner the body's cells update themselves, the younger a person's biological age.

Dr. Sinclair referred to a 1979 study involving 271 people. The researchers monitored the growth of their nails for several years with small measuring instruments directly attached to the participants' nails. The findings are quite consistent, namely:

- Since the age of about 30, nail growth has started to slow down.

- The slowdown rate is around 0.5% annually.

According to Sinclair, this trend is proof that nail growth can reflect the ability of body regeneration. When nails grow slower than usual, it can indicate that body cells also regenerate slower, a characteristic of the aging process.

Sinclair explained that although two people are the same age, their nail growth rate can be different. People whose nails grow faster so they have to cut frequently may actually have a younger biological age. This means that their bodies work more efficiently in updating cells and tissues than their peers.

The rapid nail growth reflects an active metabolism and the body renewing the tissue more efficiently, "said Sinclair.

In other words, someone who still needs to cut nails more often may have a body system that works better than those who rarely cut nails at the same age.

Simple observations of nails can turn out to be a window for understanding the course of aging in the body. Without complicated checks, you can already get an idea of how your body updates cells and tissues.

Dr. Sinclair emphasized that small awareness like this can help everyone understand their body condition better.

"We can learn a lot from small things if we want to pay attention to them," he said.