Diagnostic
GlycanAge
at AEOM
Measuring biological age through immune system inflammation — one of the few biological age tests that actually responds to what you do
GlycanAge measures inflammaging — chronic, low-grade inflammation driven by the immune system as it ages — through analysis of IgG glycosylation patterns. Unlike most biological age tests, GlycanAge changes meaningfully in response to lifestyle, medical and hormonal interventions over 3–6 months, making it one of the few useful feedback loops in longevity work. The science is peer-reviewed across 300+ papers; the test is taken at home or in clinic via dried blood spot; the report comes back in 3–4 weeks and is interpreted at AEOM by our clinical team alongside your wider context.
Key facts strip:
- £395 — GlycanAge test plus clinical interpretation consultation
- Dried blood spot test (finger prick) at home or in clinic
- Results in 3–4 weeks, including 30-minute review consultation
- Repeat testing recommended at 9–12 months
From
£395
Downtime
None
Session
30 min
Areas
Face · Neck · Body
Results
3-6 months
Introduction
Biological age testing,
properly contextualised
The "biological age" testing market has grown rapidly — promising to tell you how old your body really is, regardless of your birth certificate. The reality is more nuanced. Different tests measure different things, with significantly different evidence bases and clinical usefulness. Most consumer biological age tests are best understood as interesting indicators with developing science, not validated diagnostic tools.
GlycanAge sits at the more credible end of this category for several specific reasons:
What it measures is functionally meaningful
GlycanAge analyses IgG glycosylation — the sugar patterns attached to your antibody molecules, which directly reflect how your immune system manages inflammation. Chronic, low-grade inflammation ("inflammaging") is increasingly recognised as a fundamental driver of age-related disease. GlycanAge measures this directly.
The science is peer-reviewed and substantial
The test methodology is supported by 300+ published scientific papers, the underlying laboratory work is performed at a research-grade glycoscience laboratory, and the company's scientific work has been published in major journals.
It responds to intervention
This is the critical differentiator. DNA methylation-based biological age tests (Horvath, Levine, TruDiagnostic, MyDNAge) measure relatively static epigenetic patterns. GlycanAge measures functional immune state — which responds to lifestyle, hormonal therapy and medical intervention over 3–6 months. This makes GlycanAge useful as a feedback loop for what you're doing, not just a one-off snapshot.
ReviHRT effects are well-documented
Women on appropriate HRT routinely see significant improvement in their GlycanAge — a strong validation of the test mechanism and an indicator that the metric reflects real, modifiable biology.
GlycanAge is not a diagnostic test, doesn't predict specific diseases, and shouldn't be treated as a single number defining your health. What it is — when interpreted properly alongside the rest of your clinical picture — is one of the more useful single tests in longevity and inflammation-focused wellness work.
HOW IT WORKS
What GlycanAge
actually measures
Your antibodies (IgG molecules) carry sugar modifications called glycans attached to specific sites. The pattern of these glycans changes systematically as you age — and crucially, the pattern reflects how well your immune system is regulating inflammation right now.
GlycanAge analyses the specific distribution of five glycan structures on your IgG molecules:
Glycan Shield (S)
Anti-inflammatory Glycan structures containing sialic acid. Optimal levels associate with strong immune regulation, healthier ageing and lower inflammation. Tends to reduce with age. Low levels often link to unbalanced hormones, poor sleep, nutritional deficiencies, sedentary lifestyle, and gut/microbiome issues.
Glycan Youth (G2)
Anti-inflammatory Structures with two terminal galactoses. Strongly age-associated — declines progressively from your 30s onwards. Optimal Glycan Youth reflects effective inflammation management. Influencing factors include hormone balance, metabolic health, sleep quality, stress, overtraining, BMI and recovery patterns.
Glycan Mature (G0)
Pro-inflammatory Structures without terminal galactoses — these promote inflammation. Levels increase with age. Optimal results show low Glycan Mature; suboptimal results suggest chronic inflammation, often driven by hormonal imbalance, metabolic dysfunction, inflammatory diet, poor sleep, BMI issues or chronic stress.
Glycan Median (G1)
Supportive Structures with one terminal galactose. Helps narrow down associations with specific disease types and lifestyle patterns. Optimal levels suggest balanced immune adaptation; suboptimal results suggest disrupted immune adaptation and lower immune resilience.
Glycan Bisection (B)
Supportive Bisecting GlcNAc structures. Optimal results suggest strong immune regulation and healthy habits. Suboptimal results associate with smoking, chronic stress, toxin exposure, alcohol, poor sleep and blood pressure dysregulation.
The combined picture — your specific distribution of these five glycan structures — produces both your GlycanAge (your biological age based on immune ageing) and your Biological Age Rank (your percentile compared to peers of your exact age and biological sex).
WHAT THE REPORT INCLUDES
Inside the GlycanAge report
The full GlycanAge report is genuinely substantial — typically 25+ pages. The key sections:
Executive Summary
Your biological age (the headline number), biological age rank vs peers, and an at-a-glance summary of your glycan indexes. Designed to be readable in 5 minutes.
Biological Age and Biological Age Rank
Your GlycanAge result (e.g. "your immune system resembles an average 33-year-old"), with percentile ranking against population peers. Visual presentation of where you sit on the population trend curve for your chronological age.
Five Primary Glycan Indexes
Each of the five indexes (S, G2, G0, G1, B) plotted with your specific value, the population average for your age and sex, your percentile, and an explanation of what optimal and suboptimal results suggest about your lifestyle, hormones and health patterns.
Glycan Insights
Comparison of your glycan profile to patterns observed in conditions including:
Cardiovascular: increased risk of hypertension, pre-hypertension, hypertension, myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accident risk
Metabolic: Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia
Autoimmune: rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus
Respiratory: COPD
Important framing:
This is pattern overlap, not diagnosis. Glycan changes may reflect pathological progression up to 10 years before symptoms emerge — making the overlap analysis clinically interesting — but the report explicitly states this is informational only and cannot be used to diagnose disease.
Influencing Factors
Detailed analysis of how specific lifestyle and medical factors may be affecting your glycan profile — diet, stress, sleep, exercise patterns, supplements, medications (including HRT, testosterone replacement, metformin), andropause/menopause status.
Action Plan
Personalised recommendations based on your specific glycan pattern — primary focus areas (where your inflammation management could be improved) and secondary focus areas (where you're already doing well and should maintain). Includes suggestions for further testing if specific patterns warrant investigation.
Results Through Time (for repeat testers)
For patients on second or subsequent GlycanAge tests, the report tracks biological age changes over time — showing whether interventions are producing the expected effect on inflammaging.
Scientific Appendix
Full references to research papers underpinning each finding, technical methodology, and links to the underlying glycoscience research.
THE AEOM REVIEW
What we add to the
GlycanAge report
The GlycanAge report alone is comprehensive — but the value to you compounds significantly when interpreted alongside your wider clinical picture. The AEOM offering includes a 30-minute clinical interpretation consultation where we sit down with the report and work through what it actually means for you specifically.
The interpretation consultation covers:
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Your biological age finding in context — what this means relative to your lifestyle, your bloodwork, your goals and your medical history
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The specific glycan index findings — which are optimal, which need attention, and what's likely driving the pattern
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The disease pattern overlaps — what the cardiovascular, metabolic, autoimmune and respiratory comparisons suggest about areas to monitor
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The Action Plan — translated from generic recommendations into specific changes that fit your actual life
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Integration with your wider AEOM care — how GlycanAge findings inform nutrition recommendations, IV therapy, programmes, hormonal investigation, or further bloodwork
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Repeat testing strategy — when to retest, what interventions are most likely to move the needle, what changes you'd expect to see
The GlycanAge report is high-quality. The clinical interpretation is where it becomes actionable in your specific situation rather than remaining a beautifully presented set of numbers.
WHO IT'S FOR
Who GlycanAge
is right for
Well-suited if you are:
Investing seriously in longevity work and want a credible biological age metric that responds to what you do
Perimenopausal or considering HRT — GlycanAge is particularly responsive to hormonal therapy, and the test serves as a useful objective marker of whether HRT is producing systemic benefit
In your 30s or beyond and want a baseline understanding of where your immune ageing sits
Concerned about inflammation — chronic fatigue, joint stiffness, family history of autoimmune conditions, signs of premature ageing
A high-performing professional or athlete wanting to confirm that intense lifestyle isn't accelerating inflammaging
Following significant lifestyle change (weight loss, sobriety, structured exercise programme, stress reduction) and want to measure whether the changes are producing biological impact
Considering or on testosterone replacement therapy and want objective measurement of effect on inflammation
On Optimisation Membership — biennial GlycanAge is included as a member benefit
A patient who values evidence-based testing and is sceptical of less credible biological age tests
May not be the right test if you:
Want a single number defining your health — no biological age test does this credibly, and we wouldn't recommend treating GlycanAge that way
Have acute infection or major illness at the time of testing — inflammation patterns will be skewed and the result won't reflect baseline
Are immediately post-surgery or post-significant injury — wait until inflammatory processes have settled (typically 6+ weeks)
Have diagnosed autoimmune disease in active flare — the result reflects the active disease state rather than baseline ageing
Are looking for dietary recommendations specifically — nutritionist consultation with bloodwork is typically a more practical starting point
Want predictive disease risk scores — GlycanAge is explicitly not a diagnostic or predictive test for specific diseases
WHY IT RESPONDS TO INTERVENTION
The critical differentiator from
other biological age tests
This is what makes GlycanAge genuinely useful as part of ongoing care, rather than just an interesting single-test snapshot:
GlycanAge measures functional state.
IgG glycosylation reflects current immune behaviour — how your immune system is managing inflammation right now. When you change the factors driving inflammation (diet, sleep, stress, hormones, body composition, training load), the glycan pattern changes in response — typically over 3–6 months as new antibody molecules are produced with updated glycosylation patterns.
DNA methylation tests measure relatively static patterns.
Tests like Horvath, GrimAge, TruDiagnostic and MyDNAge measure epigenetic markers that change much more slowly — often requiring sustained intervention over 1–2 years to produce meaningful change. They're useful for showing where you are; they're less useful as feedback loops for interventions.
Documented interventions that move GlycanAge
HRT and testosterone replacement therapy — well-documented improvement
Significant weight reduction (where appropriate)
Sustained nutritional improvement — particularly Mediterranean dietary patterns, omega-3 increase, processed food reduction
Structured exercise — particularly resistance training and aerobic patterns; over-exercising can worsen results
Sleep optimisation
Smoking cessation
Alcohol reduction
Chronic stress management
Specific supplementation when addressing documented deficiencies
What this means practically: GlycanAge taken once gives you a baseline. GlycanAge taken twice — typically 9–12 months apart, with structured intervention in between — shows you whether what you're doing is working. For patients investing in longevity work, this feedback loop is genuinely meaningful in a way that single-snapshot testing isn't.
What GlycanAge
will and won't do
GlycanAge themselves are clearer than most longevity test providers about what the test does and doesn't do. We share that honesty:
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GlycanAge is not a diagnostic test. It doesn't diagnose disease, doesn't predict specific health outcomes, and shouldn't be used as a substitute for proper clinical assessment of any symptoms or concerns.
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The "disease pattern overlap" section is illustrative, not predictive. Your glycan profile may share patterns observed in studies of specific diseases — but this overlap reflects shared inflammatory biology, not disease risk per se. We'll interpret these overlaps appropriately at the review consultation.
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One result is a snapshot. A single GlycanAge tells you where you are at a moment in time. Real value comes from baseline plus repeat testing showing change over time.
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Acute factors affect results. Recent infection, injury, vaccination, surgery, intense exercise period, significant emotional stress and other acute factors can shift glycan patterns temporarily. We'd typically recommend testing during a representative period rather than immediately after acute events.
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It's one input, not the whole picture. Even with a comprehensive GlycanAge report, you still need bloodwork, lifestyle context, family history, symptoms and goals to make sense of the findings. GlycanAge is most useful as part of integrated care, not as a standalone product.
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The biological age number itself can be misleading taken alone. A "GlycanAge of 35 vs chronological age 50" is an attention-grabbing finding — but the underlying glycan indexes carry more clinical information than the headline number. We focus on the substantive findings, not the marketing-friendly biological age figure.
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Results may be unsurprising. For patients with healthy lifestyles, GlycanAge often confirms what they already suspect. The most useful results are typically for patients whose findings reveal patterns they didn't expect — driving meaningful behaviour or treatment change.
GLYCANAGE COMPARED — HOW IT DIFFERS
GlycanAge vs
other biological age tests
GlycanAge vs DNA Methylation Tests
Different mechanisms, different use cases. DNA methylation tests measure epigenetic patterns at specific sites in your DNA — these patterns shift slowly over time and reflect long-term life patterns more than current behaviour. They're useful for longitudinal tracking over years but less useful as feedback loops for shorter-term interventions. GlycanAge measures functional immune state — responsive to intervention over 3–6 months, making it more useful for ongoing care. Patients investing seriously in longevity work often do both, at different intervals (methylation every 2–3 years, GlycanAge every 9–12 months).
GlycanAge vs Telomere Length Tests
Telomere length was once heavily marketed as a biological age measure but has been substantially discredited as a single biomarker. Telomere length is influenced by too many factors unrelated to biological ageing to be useful as a clinical signal in isolation. We don't offer telomere testing and wouldn't recommend it as a primary biological age measure.
GlycanAge vs InsideTracker InnerAge
Various consumer products produce a "biological age" estimate from standard bloodwork (markers like CRP, glucose, lipids, kidney function). These are essentially statistical models converting bloodwork into an age score. They're useful as broad indicators but don't measure anything biologically specific to ageing — and the "age" they produce is more a reflection of metabolic health than ageing biology. GlycanAge measures something biologically distinct.
GlycanAge vs Consumer Direct Purchase
You can buy GlycanAge directly from the company (~£300 in the UK) without going through a clinic. For patients comfortable interpreting the report independently and acting on the recommendations alone, this is genuinely an option. AEOM's value-add is the clinical interpretation in context of your wider health, integration with bloodwork and lifestyle data, and embedded follow-through in our programmes and membership. If you want the test only, direct purchase from GlycanAge is appropriate. If you want it as part of considered care, AEOM is the right setting.
GlycanAge vs Combined Biological Age Panels
Some premium clinics offer combined biological age panels (multiple tests producing a composite biological age). These are typically expensive (£1,500+) and the science around combining different biological age measures into a single composite is genuinely contested. We prefer the cleaner approach: one well-validated test (GlycanAge), interpreted properly, repeated over time. If patients want methylation testing alongside, we can arrange this separately.
PRICING
GlycanAge pricing
Package
Price
Includes
GlycanAge
£350
Test kit, dried blood spot collection, lab analysis, full report, 30-minute clinical interpretation consultation
Repeat GlycanAge (within 12 months)
£300
As above, with year-over-year comparison and updated recommendations
GlycanAge + Comprehensive Wellness Panel
£575
GlycanAge plus Well Person Profile bloodwork integrated into the review
GlycanAge + Wearables Baseline Review
£695
GlycanAge integrated into the Baseline Review report
GlycanAge + Female Hormone Profile
£545
Particularly valuable for perimenopausal patients and patients considering HRT
Klarna instalments available on combined packages, subject to approval.
As part of a Programme: GlycanAge is included in:
- Regenerative Performance Programme (£2,495) — GlycanAge baseline included
- Regenerative Lift Programme (£4,495) — available as optional add-on
Membership: Optimisation Membership (£250/month or £2,500/year) — biennial GlycanAge included (one test every 24 months) as a core member benefit. For members wanting more frequent testing, repeat tests are available at the £325 member-rate.
COMBINE WITH
Treatments that combine well
with GlycanAge
GlycanAge + Comprehensive Wellness Panel The natural pairing. Bloodwork gives current status; GlycanAge gives biological ageing context. Together, you understand both where you are and how your trajectory looks.
GlycanAge + Female Hormone Profile / HRT Considerations Particularly powerful for perimenopausal women and women considering or on HRT. GlycanAge is genuinely responsive to hormonal therapy, making it useful both as a baseline before HRT and as a measure of whether hormonal optimisation is producing systemic benefit beyond symptom relief.
GlycanAge + Male Hormone Profile / TRT Considerations For men considering or on testosterone replacement therapy, GlycanAge provides objective measurement of whether the therapy is improving systemic inflammation patterns — a useful clinical signal beyond symptom-based assessment.
GlycanAge + Nutritionist Consultation Many of the lifestyle factors influencing GlycanAge are nutritional — Mediterranean dietary patterns, omega-3 sufficiency, processed food reduction, alcohol patterns, weight management. The nutritionist consultation translates GlycanAge findings into practical dietary change.
GlycanAge + Wearables Baseline Review GlycanAge findings integrated into the Wearables Baseline Review report produces one of the most comprehensive single-snapshot health pictures available — combining biological age, ongoing lifestyle data, bloodwork and clinical synthesis.
GlycanAge + Repeat Testing Strategy Single GlycanAge tests are informative. Series of GlycanAge tests over years are genuinely valuable — showing trajectory, validating interventions and identifying drift. For patients on Optimisation Membership, biennial testing is built in.
Frequently asked questions
What does the test actually involve?
A small dried blood spot collected from a finger prick — either at home using the kit we provide, or in clinic if you'd prefer (some patients find finger pricks easier with help). The sample is shipped to the GlycanAge laboratory for analysis. Results return in 3–4 weeks.
Can I do it at home or do I need to come to AEOM?
Either works. The test kit is straightforward and most patients do it at home. Some patients prefer the in-clinic option — particularly those nervous about finger pricks. The kit is sent to you, or you collect it from us, depending on your preference.
How long do results take?
Approximately 3–4 weeks from sample submission to result delivery. The clinical interpretation consultation is typically scheduled in week 4 or 5.
Is GlycanAge actually scientifically credible?
Yes — substantially more so than many biological age tests on the market. The underlying glycoscience is established, the company's scientific work is published in major peer-reviewed journals, and the test methodology is supported by 300+ published papers. The honest caveat: like all biological age testing, the field is still developing, and we'd encourage interpretation alongside other clinical data rather than treating any single biological age result as definitive.
Will GlycanAge tell me how long I'll live?
No — and any test claiming to do so should be treated with significant scepticism. GlycanAge measures current immune-system ageing, not life expectancy. The output is a biological age finding that reflects how well your immune system is managing inflammation right now, plus actionable recommendations for improvement.
Why is GlycanAge sometimes much younger than my chronological age?
A biological age younger than chronological age can reflect genuinely effective inflammation management — favourable genetics, optimal lifestyle, effective medical interventions (particularly HRT in women), or some combination. It's not unusual to see significantly younger biological ages in patients with strong lifestyle habits or on HRT.
Why is GlycanAge sometimes much older than my chronological age?
This warrants attention rather than alarm. A biological age older than chronological often reflects high inflammatory burden — driven by stress, poor sleep, nutritional patterns, body composition, hormonal imbalance, or sometimes underlying conditions worth investigating. We'd discuss this carefully at the review consultation and identify priority interventions.
Does HRT really change GlycanAge?
Yes — this is one of the better-documented effects in the GlycanAge literature. Women on appropriate hormone replacement therapy frequently show significant improvement in their biological age over 6–12 months. This is genuinely useful both for women considering HRT (as a baseline pre-treatment measurement) and women already on HRT (as an objective marker of whether treatment is producing systemic benefit).
How does GlycanAge compare to GrimAge or TruDiagnostic?
Different mechanisms with different use cases. DNA methylation tests like GrimAge and TruDiagnostic measure relatively static epigenetic patterns — useful for long-term trajectory tracking over years. GlycanAge measures functional immune state, which responds to intervention over 3–6 months — more useful as a feedback loop. Many serious longevity patients do both at different intervals. We can arrange methylation testing separately if you want both.
Should I retest, and how often?
GlycanAge themselves recommend retesting at 9–12 months when initial results are optimal (to confirm continued maintenance) or at 6 months if you're actively implementing significant interventions (HRT initiation, major dietary change, structured exercise programme). For most patients on AEOM Optimisation Membership, biennial testing (every 24 months) is the included pattern, with optional annual testing available at member-rate.
Can I just buy GlycanAge directly from the company?
Yes — direct consumer purchase is available at approximately £300 in the UK. For patients comfortable interpreting the report independently and acting on its recommendations alone, this is a reasonable option. The AEOM offering at £395 includes the test plus 30-minute clinical interpretation consultation plus integration with your wider AEOM care. For patients who want testing only, direct purchase is appropriate. For patients who want it as part of clinical care, AEOM is the right setting.
What's the difference between this and the "biological age" my Oura ring shows me?
The Oura "Cardiovascular Age" feature (and similar features in other wearables) is an interesting indicator derived from cardiovascular fitness markers — heart rate variability, resting heart rate, recovery patterns. It's useful as a directional indicator but doesn't measure anything biologically specific to ageing. GlycanAge measures distinct, peer-reviewed biology related to inflammation and immune ageing. They're complementary — your Oura cardiovascular age shows current fitness; GlycanAge shows immune ageing.
What happens if my GlycanAge result is concerning?
"Concerning" results (biological age significantly older than chronological, or several glycan indexes in suboptimal range) typically reflect modifiable factors — chronic inflammation, lifestyle patterns, hormonal imbalance, or sometimes underlying conditions worth investigating. The clinical interpretation consultation focuses specifically on identifying drivers and prioritising interventions. We'd typically recommend repeat testing 6–9 months after implementing changes to confirm direction of travel.
Can I do GlycanAge during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Glycan patterns shift significantly during and after pregnancy as part of normal physiological adaptation — results during these periods reflect pregnancy state rather than baseline ageing. We'd typically recommend waiting at least 6–12 months postnatal (or longer if breastfeeding) before baseline GlycanAge testing.
Will my GP take this seriously?
GlycanAge is increasingly recognised in the UK private wellness and longevity sector and has growing acceptance in the broader medical community — but it's still novel for many GPs. We can share results with your GP with your consent, and we'll provide the published scientific references that support the methodology. For patients whose GP is not engaged with novel longevity testing, the result is most usefully interpreted within AEOM's clinical pathway alongside the rest of your care.
Where is AEOM located?
Our clinic is at 116 Seymour Place in Marylebone, London.
Marylebone, Baker Street and Edgware Road stations are all under ten minutes on foot. Free street parking is available after 6.30pm, with paid bays on York Street nearby — daytime parking is reimbursed for treatments over £200. Treatments are by appointment only.
Ready to book
GlycanAge testing?
GlycanAge is one of the better-validated biological age tests available — and one of the few that genuinely responds to what you do. Book a test, or speak to our team about how GlycanAge fits into wider longevity, hormonal or membership pathways.