Faster Biological Aging May Show Up in Everyday Memory Lapses—Especially in Midlife

Key takeaways

• In a longitudinal study of 232 adults, researchers examined whether DunedinPACE—an epigenetic measure of biological aging rate—was associated with self-reported daily memory lapses roughly 10 years later.

• Across the full sample, faster biological aging was not associated with more memory lapses overall.

• The notable finding was age-specific: among participants in their 40s, a faster DunedinPACE score was associated with more prospective memory lapses later on, such as forgetting an errand, appointment, or intended task.

• Participants in their 40s with faster aging scores also reported that these prospective lapses were more irritating and disruptive to their routines.

• This observational study cannot show that a faster biological-aging score causes memory changes, nor does it establish epigenetic-clock testing as a tool for predicting an individual’s brain health.

Memory is more than recall

Everyone forgets a name, misplaces an item, or walks into a room and loses track of why. But not all memory slips are the same.

This study focused on two categories. Prospective memory is remembering to do something in the future: take a medication, finish a task, attend an appointment, or run an errand. Retrospective memory is recalling information from the past, such as a person’s name or where you put your keys.

Those future-oriented slips may be especially relevant to daily function because they affect the systems people use to manage plans, routines, and responsibilities.

A measure of aging rate

Chronological age tells you how many years you have lived. Biological-age measures aim to capture something different: how quickly aging-related changes appear to be occurring in the body.

DunedinPACE is one of these tools. It uses patterns of DNA methylation—chemical tags that influence how genes are regulated—to estimate a person’s pace of aging rather than simply labeling them biologically older or younger than their calendar age.

A score of 1.0 represents the average pace in the reference population. A score above 1.0 indicates a faster estimated pace; a score below 1.0 indicates a slower one. It is best understood as a research measure of system-wide aging patterns, not a diagnosis or a fixed verdict about someone’s future.

The midlife signal

Researchers used data from the Midlife in the United States study and its National Study of Daily Experiences. Participants gave blood samples for DNA-methylation analysis and, approximately a decade later, completed eight consecutive daily interviews about memory slips during the previous 24 hours.

The overall result was not a simple “faster aging equals more forgetfulness” story. There were no significant main effects of DunedinPACE on daily prospective or retrospective memory lapses across the entire sample.

But age changed the pattern. Among people in their 40s, a faster pace of epigenetic aging was associated with more prospective memory lapses years later, along with greater irritation and interference from those lapses. The same pattern did not appear consistently in participants in their 50s, 60s, or older.

Interesting, not predictive

This is an intriguing midlife finding, but it needs careful interpretation.

The study included only 232 people, with 35 participants between ages 40 and 49. It tracked real-world memory experiences over eight days, but it did not diagnose a cognitive condition or establish how these reports map onto long-term functional outcomes.

It also cannot tell us whether changing a DunedinPACE score would change memory experiences. Epigenetic clocks reflect a broad mix of biological, behavioral, social, and environmental influences; they are not a direct readout of one habit, nutrient, or intervention.

The result may instead point to midlife as a period when the gap between chronological age and biological aging rate begins to matter more for everyday cognitive function. That is a useful research question—not yet a reason to interpret one test result as a personal forecast.

Practical tips

The actionable message is less about chasing an epigenetic-age score and more about treating midlife as a meaningful period for protecting long-term capacity.

• Build and maintain cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength through regular aerobic and resistance exercise.

• Prioritize consistent, sufficient sleep, especially if daytime alertness and concentration are slipping.

• Support metabolic health with an eating pattern centered on minimally processed foods, adequate protein, fiber-rich plants, and stable meal routines.

• Reduce cognitive overload with calendars, reminders, written lists, and routines that make future tasks easier to execute.

• Take recurring or worsening memory concerns seriously enough to discuss with a qualified clinician, particularly when they interfere with normal daily life.

The takeaway

This study does not show that epigenetic testing can predict who will have memory problems. It does offer an early signal that a faster biological-aging rate in the 40s may be linked with more disruptive everyday memory lapses later on.

The larger lesson is familiar but important: midlife is not a waiting room for healthy aging. It is an active window for investing in the physical, metabolic, and cognitive foundations that support resilience for decades to come.

Reference:
Jang H, Holmberg JC, Nicholson JS, et al. Linking epigenetic age acceleration to self-reported daily memory lapses: Evidence from the National Study of Daily Experiences. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. 2026;81(10):glag202. doi:10.1093/gerona/glag202.