Dunedinpace Explained

Most people think of aging as a number — you turn 40, then 50, then 60. But what if two 50-year-olds were aging at completely different speeds? What if one was biologically deteriorating twice as fast as the other?

That is exactly what DunedinPACE measures. Unlike traditional biological age clocks that give you a static snapshot, DunedinPACE tells you how fast you are aging right now — and more importantly, whether the changes you are making to your lifestyle are actually working.

In this guide, we explain what DunedinPACE is, the science behind it, how to interpret your score, and how you can get tested in the UK.

What Is DunedinPACE?

DunedinPACE stands for Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from the Epigenome. It is a DNA methylation-based biomarker that quantifies the rate at which your body is aging. Rather than estimating your biological age at a single point in time, DunedinPACE measures your pace of biological deterioration.

Think of it this way: if biological age is your car's odometer (how far you have travelled), DunedinPACE is your speedometer (how fast you are going right now).

The test was developed by researchers at Duke University and the University of Otago, drawing on decades of data from the Dunedin Longitudinal Study — one of the most comprehensive human aging studies ever conducted.

The Dunedin Longitudinal Study

The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study has followed 1,037 people born in 1972–1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand, from birth through to midlife. Participants have been assessed repeatedly across their entire lives, with researchers tracking an extraordinary range of health biomarkers at each visit.

This dataset is uniquely powerful because it provides longitudinal measurements — the same individuals measured at ages 26, 32, 38, 45, and beyond. Researchers could observe, in real time, how quickly each person's body was deteriorating across multiple organ systems.

By analysing which patterns of DNA methylation correlated with faster or slower rates of multi-organ decline, the team built the DunedinPACE algorithm. The landmark paper was published in Nature Aging in January 2022 (Belsky et al., "DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging") and has since been validated across multiple independent cohorts.

DunedinPACE vs Biological Age Clocks: What Is the Difference?

There are dozens of epigenetic clocks available today — Horvath's clock, GrimAge, PhenoAge, and others. These are sometimes called "first generation" and "second generation" biological age clocks. They estimate your biological age as a single number: "You are chronologically 45, but biologically 52."

DunedinPACE takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of asking "how old are you biologically?", it asks "how fast are you aging right now?"

This distinction matters enormously for anyone trying to slow their aging through lifestyle changes. If you overhaul your diet, start exercising, improve your sleep, and begin a supplement protocol, a static biological age clock may take years to register a meaningful change. DunedinPACE, because it captures the current velocity of aging, can reflect improvements in a matter of months.

How DunedinPACE Works: The Science

DunedinPACE analyses DNA methylation — chemical modifications to your DNA that change in response to aging, environment, and lifestyle. Specifically, it examines methylation patterns at a curated set of CpG sites (regions of DNA where a cytosine nucleotide is followed by a guanine nucleotide).

These CpG sites were selected because their methylation levels correlate with the rate of change in 19 biomarkers of organ-system integrity, spanning six critical systems:

• Cardiovascular: blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, mean arterial pressure
• Metabolic: BMI, waist-hip ratio, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), leptin, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol
• Renal: blood urea nitrogen, creatinine clearance
• Hepatic: liver enzymes (ALT, AST)
• Immune: white blood cell count, C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Periodontal: gum health and attachment loss

The algorithm was trained on longitudinal data — tracking how these 19 biomarkers changed over time within each individual in the Dunedin Study. This is what makes DunedinPACE a measure of pace rather than position.

Validation

Since its publication, DunedinPACE has been validated in multiple large, independent cohorts. Studies have shown that a higher DunedinPACE score is associated with:

• Increased risk of all-cause mortality
• Higher incidence of cardiovascular disease
• Greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia
• Accelerated physical decline and disability
• Reduced healthspan and quality of life in later years

Crucially, these associations hold even after controlling for chronological age, meaning DunedinPACE captures something meaningfully different from simply being older.

Understanding Your DunedinPACE Score

DunedinPACE is expressed as a single number, typically ranging from about 0.6 to 1.4:

• 1.0 — You are aging at the average pace. For every calendar year that passes, your body ages approximately one biological year.
• Below 1.0 — You are aging slower than average. A score of 0.85 means you are aging roughly 15% slower than the norm — for every calendar year, your body ages only about 10.2 biological months.
• Above 1.0 — You are aging faster than average. A score of 1.20 means you are aging 20% faster — for every calendar year, your body accumulates about 14.4 biological months of wear.

Over a lifetime, these differences compound dramatically. Someone with a DunedinPACE of 0.80 who lives to chronological age 80 would have a body equivalent to someone aged 64 by conventional standards. Conversely, someone at 1.20 would have accumulated the equivalent of 96 years of biological wear.

What Is a Good DunedinPACE Score?

In the general population, the average DunedinPACE is approximately 1.0. Among people who actively pursue longevity interventions — optimised nutrition, regular exercise, quality sleep, targeted supplementation — scores in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 are common. Elite longevity optimisers on the Rejuvenation Olympics leaderboard have reported scores as low as 0.6 to 0.7.

Why DunedinPACE Is the Best Test for Tracking Longevity Interventions

If you are investing time, money, and effort into slowing your aging — whether through diet, exercise, supplements like NMN, or other interventions — you need a metric that actually responds to those changes on a practical timescale.

Static biological age clocks are useful for an initial baseline, but they move slowly. You might spend a year making radical improvements to your health and see your biological age shift by just one or two years — a change that is difficult to distinguish from noise.

DunedinPACE, by contrast, is designed to be sensitive to recent changes. Because it measures the current rate of deterioration rather than accumulated damage, it can register the impact of interventions within three to six months. This makes it the ideal metric for:

• Testing whether a new supplement or protocol is working — measure before and after
• Comparing different interventions — which approach produces the best DunedinPACE improvement?
• Staying accountable — objective data that shows whether you are on track
• Personalising your longevity strategy — what works for your unique biology?

How to Get a DunedinPACE Test in the UK

DunedinPACE is measured through an epigenetic test that analyses DNA methylation from a simple blood sample. The leading provider of this test is TruDiagnostic, whose TruAge platform is the gold standard for consumer epigenetic age testing.

At Lola Health, we offer two TruDiagnostic test options that include DunedinPACE:

TruAge COMPLETE — The Comprehensive Option

The TruAge COMPLETE test is the most thorough epigenetic age test available. For £380, you receive:

• DunedinPACE — your pace of aging
• SYMPHONYAge — individual biological ages for 11 organ systems (brain, heart, liver, kidney, lung, immune, hormone, metabolic, blood, musculoskeletal, and inflammatory)
• OMICmAge — an advanced multi-omic biological age estimate
• Telomere length — a complementary measure of cellular aging
• Immune cell composition — your intrinsic and extrinsic immune age
• Multiple additional epigenetic clocks — including GrimAge, PhenoAge, and Horvath's clock

This is the ideal test for anyone who wants a complete picture of their biological aging — the comprehensive baseline from which to optimise.

TruAge PACE — The Focused Follow-Up

If you have already taken the COMPLETE test and want to track your DunedinPACE over time without repeating the full panel, the TruAge PACE test offers DunedinPACE plus telomere length at a lower price point. This makes it perfect as a follow-up test every 3–6 months to monitor whether your interventions are moving the needle.

Both tests are available to order from Lola Health, with UK-based support and straightforward at-home blood collection kits shipped directly to you.

How to Improve Your DunedinPACE Score

While everyone's biology is different, research and community data from longevity optimisers consistently highlight several key interventions that are associated with lower DunedinPACE scores:

1. Nutrition: A whole-food, nutrient-dense diet rich in vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, and fibre. Caloric restriction and time-restricted eating have shown promise in research settings.
2. Exercise: A combination of cardiovascular training, resistance training, and flexibility work. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, plus strength training 2–3 times per week.
3. Sleep: Consistent, high-quality sleep of 7–9 hours. Sleep is when your body performs critical repair and maintenance processes.
4. Stress management: Chronic psychological stress accelerates biological aging. Meditation, breathwork, and time in nature have all been associated with slower aging.
5. Targeted supplementation: Compounds such as NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide), omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and magnesium are commonly used by longevity-focused individuals. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting a new supplement regimen.
6. Avoiding toxins: Minimising alcohol consumption, eliminating smoking, and reducing exposure to environmental pollutants.

The most effective strategy is to test, intervene, and re-test. Take your DunedinPACE baseline with a TruAge COMPLETE test, implement your chosen interventions for 3–6 months, then re-test with TruAge PACE to measure the impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good DunedinPACE score?

The population average is approximately 1.0. A score below 1.0 means you are aging slower than average. Scores in the range of 0.7–0.9 are considered excellent and are typical of people who actively pursue longevity interventions. Elite performers on the Rejuvenation Olympics leaderboard have reported scores between 0.6 and 0.7.

How can I improve my DunedinPACE?

The most effective approaches include optimising your diet (nutrient-dense whole foods, potential caloric restriction), regular exercise (both cardio and resistance training), prioritising sleep quality and duration, managing stress, targeted supplementation (NMN, omega-3, vitamin D, magnesium), and avoiding toxins such as alcohol and tobacco. Test your baseline with TruAge COMPLETE, make changes for 3–6 months, then re-test to track your progress.

How often should I test DunedinPACE?

For most people, testing every 3–6 months provides a good balance between tracking progress and allowing enough time for interventions to produce measurable changes. An initial TruAge COMPLETE test followed by periodic TruAge PACE follow-ups is the most cost-effective approach.

Is DunedinPACE accurate?

DunedinPACE is one of the most rigorously validated epigenetic biomarkers available. Published in Nature Aging in 2022, it has been validated across multiple independent cohorts and has demonstrated consistent associations with mortality risk, disease incidence, and physical decline. Its test-retest reliability is strong, making it suitable for tracking changes over time.

Where can I get a DunedinPACE test in the UK?

You can order a DunedinPACE test through Lola Health. We offer TruDiagnostic's TruAge COMPLETE (£380) and TruAge PACE tests, both of which include DunedinPACE. The test uses a simple at-home blood collection kit shipped directly to your door, with results typically available within 4–6 weeks.

Start Measuring Your Pace of Aging

You cannot manage what you do not measure. DunedinPACE gives you the most actionable, scientifically validated metric available for understanding how fast your body is aging — and whether your efforts to slow it down are actually working.

Order your TruAge COMPLETE test from Lola Health today and discover your pace of aging. It is the first step towards taking control of your biological age.