MM LAB
Determination of biological age and health risks
Do you want to know if and, if so, why you are aging too fast in less than two hours? Do you also want to get an insight into the alterable risk factors that may lead to chronic diseases and what the level of your physical fitness is? Finally, do you want, based on the mentioned findings, to delay the aging process and reduce the risk of a chronic disease? If your answers are affirmative, the Motus Melior team of experts are here to help you realise what you want.
Aging biomarkers
Aging is a progressive deterioration of physiological functions along with age progression, accompanied by an increased risk of the onset of chronic diseases and mortality. To better understand the aging process, you must also know the following:
- Chronological age is a relatively poor indicator of our organism’s aging.
- 70% of inter-individual differences in the aging process can be explained by environmental factors, which are susceptible to changes.
Therefore, a scientific “pursuit” of reliable aging markers as well as of any interventions that may delay or slow down aging has been going on for some time. At present, no “golden standard” aging biomarkers have been found. Since different human organ systems age at different tempos, it is vital to collect and grasp a greater number of aging biomarkers as well as the alterable factors associated with a person’s behaviour and lifestyle that influence the aging tempo.
Health risk factors
Chronic diseases are a leading cause of premature mortality and functional disability in Croatia and worldwide. These are primarily cardio-vascular diseases, different types of cancer, respiratory system chronic diseases, diabetes, and degenerative musculo-skeletal diseases.
Numerous human traits and characteristics that increase the probability of developing chronic diseases have been strongly evidenced by science. They are known under the term health risk factors. The following are the most interesting to us:
- adaptable health risk factors sensitive to your lifestyle and behaviour (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, fitness level and nutrition)
- biomedical health risk factors (high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, being overweight or obese) are under the direct influence of risk factors associated with a person’s behaviour and lifestyle.
The most interesting fact is that the adaptable health risk factors overlap considerably with the factors responsible for premature aging of our organism. Consequently, by the alterations of our behaviour and lifestyle it is possible to biologically “rejuvenate” our organism and diminish the risks of developing chronic diseases.
What is fitness and why is it important to be fit?
Fitness (optimal physical condition) is a combination of abilities and characteristics that make us fit, capable of fulfilling the everyday physically demanding activities with no difficulties and/or fatigue.
Fitness is composed of the following components:
- Morphological component – body build and body composition, soft tissue flexibility
- Muscular component – muscular fitness (muscle strength, power, and endurance)
- Motor component – balance and coordination
- Cardio-respiratory component – aerobic fitness (aerobic endurance)
- Metabolic component – blood lipids and blood sugar levels indicating the carbohydrates and fat metabolism.
Being fit means to achieve above average scores in the first four fitness components, in comparison with your peers’ scores, and to have normal blood sugar and blood fat levels. There is a strong scientific evidence that being among the top 25% of your age peers in aerobic and muscular fitness means that a premature mortality risk (death before the expected, average age) has been reduced by even 50% for a long time. Alongside a well-developed muscular and aerobic fitness as well as a good blood count, it is important to have good joint and spine mobility, a good control over movements and body posture as well as a harmoniously shaped body.
The good news is that our locomotor system can be transformed both in adult and older age, subject to the condition that an exercise programme is adjusted to a person’s health status and fitness level.
Find out your biological age and health risk factors
The Motus Melior team of experts, under the leadership of Prof. Marković, have combined the existing cognitions and findings on aging, anti-aging methods and chronic disease primary prevention, and developed a unique system for the reliable assessment of an organism’s aging (Body Age) and for the assessment of the adaptable factors in the background of premature aging, factors which increase the risks of the development of a chronic disease.
The process commences with a two-hour detailed diagnostic procedure, which includes:
- Personal and family anamnesis
- Data collection on a person’s lifestyle and habits (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, stress exposure, physical training programmes experience, sleeping quality, nutrition)
- Blood work
- Measurement of all the fitness components (morphological, motor, muscular, metabolic and cardio-respiratory)
- Mental status and cognitive functioning assessment.
The collected pieces of information are processed by special statistical methods allowing the determination of a person’s biological-physical age – “Body Age“ and health risk factors. The results make it possible to plan, execute and follow up a personalised anti-aging intervention that includes alterations of the habits being most responsible for premature aging. After six months of the personally tailored intervention implementation, the described diagnostic procedure is repeated to find out its effects.
For the last two years, I have been successfully working with Professor Marković on regeneration, fitness and recovery from injuries and pain.
Working with Professor Goran Marković was exceptional - fast, high quality and efficient. We can be proud to have such an expert at our side.
Professor Marković's knowledge and skill have greatly helped me to come back into the field as soon as possible after an injury or painful condition and in good physical state.
Motus Melior has helped me numerous times in my career, both in the rehabilitation of injuries from which I came back even stronger, as well as in my conditional plan and nutrition and regeneration.
Thanks to the Motus Melior team, a back injury that jeopardized my career is behind me, and at the same time I improved the function of my hips and torso.
Unfortunately, injuries are an integral part of professional sports. That is why it is important to have an expert team on your side, such as Professor Marković's. The comfortable and beautiful atmosphere of Motus Melior, with its professional and expert staff, is a winning combination for a quick recovery.
I have been working with the Motus Melior Center and Professor Marković for 3 years. I am extremely pleased with the collaboration so far as they have helped me a lot in recovering from my injuries and improving my fitness. I look forward to continuing this collaboration in the future.
On my manager's recommendation, two years ago I started working with Professor Marković and the Motus Melior Center in the field of injury prevention and treatment and conditioning. So far, I am extremely pleased with the cooperation. I recommend them fully.
Professor Marković is a person I place my trust in. I have been collaborating with the professor and the Motus Melior team for over 6 years, and this collaboration is gaining new dimensions every year. This has greatly contributed to my professional sports development.
I have been working with Professor Marković and the Motus Melior team for 5 years and it is with their help that I am where I am today.
This project was co-financed by European Union from European Regional Development Fund. All material content is the sole responsibility of Motus Melior company.
