Page 35 - The Insurance Times November 2025

advanced models, such as PhenoAge (Levine et al., 2018) robust tools for mortality prediction, surpassing
and GrimAge (Lu et al., 2019), were designed not only to conventional actuarial risk measures in certain contexts.
predict chronological age but also to incorporate mortality-
associated biomarkers, thereby directly linking epigenetic 4. Application in Life Insurance Risk
changes to life expectancy.
Stratification

2.3 Types of Epigenetic Clocks 4.1 Advantages to Insurers
Epigenetic clocks can be broadly categorized into: The integration of epigenetic clocks into life insurance
First-generation clocks (Horvath, Hannum): Focused underwriting could provide several advantages:
on predicting chronological age. 1. Precision in Risk Assessment: Epigenetic clocks offer
individualized risk profiles beyond demographic
Second-generation clocks (PhenoAge, GrimAge):
Designed to predict healthspan and mortality by averages.
integrating clinical biomarkers and surrogate markers 2. Early Detection of Risk: Identifying accelerated
(e.g., smoking pack-years, plasma proteins). biological aging could signal higher risk individuals even
before clinical disease onset.
Next-generation clocks: Aim to capture additional
features such as tissue-specific aging, stress response, 3. Dynamic Monitoring: Unlike static demographic
and disease-specific methylation patterns. factors, biological age can change over time, enabling
continuous policy adjustments.
3. Epigenetic Clocks and Mortality 4. Competitive Differentiation: Early adoption could allow
Prediction insurers to design innovative, personalized products.
3.1 Scientific Validation For example, a policyholder with a biological age
Numerous cohort studies have validated the utility of significantly younger than their chronological age may
epigenetic clocks in predicting all-cause mortality. For qualify for lower premiums, while those with accelerated
instance, accelerated epigenetic aging, where biological aging may be flagged for higher risk. This granular approach
age exceeds chronological age, has been consistently has the potential to revolutionize risk stratification models.
associated with increased mortality risk (Marioni et al.,
2015). GrimAge, in particular, outperforms earlier clocks, 5. Ethical and Legal Considerations
with studies showing that it can predict time-to-death, The application of epigenetic clocks in life insurance raises
incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other age- several ethical and legal concerns:
related morbidities (Lu et al., 2019). Genetic and Epigenetic Discrimination: Similar to
debates around genetic testing, the use of epigenetic
3.2 Key Findings data may lead to discrimination in access to insurance
Epigenetic age acceleration correlates with all-cause or unfair premium rates.
mortality independent of lifestyle and genetic factors Informed Consent: Individuals must fully understand
(Marioni et al., 2015). the implications of sharing molecular data, including
GrimAge predicts mortality more accurately than potential consequences for insurability.
traditional risk factors such as smoking and body mass Privacy Concerns: DNA methylation profiles may
index (McCrory et al., 2021). inadvertently reveal information about lifestyle factors
PhenoAge demonstrates strong associations with (e.g., smoking, alcohol use) or disease predispositions,
morbidity, frailty, and longevity, offering utility beyond necessitating stringent data protection measures.
chronological age prediction (Levine et al., 2018). Regulatory Oversight: Current legal frameworks often
Epigenetic clocks have shown predictive consistency address genetic data but may not extend to epigenetic
across populations, though with variations in information, creating regulatory gaps.
accuracy depending on ancestry and environmental Social Equity: There is a risk that marginalized
exposures. populations could be disproportionately affected,
particularly if socioeconomic stressors are reflected in
Collectively, these findings confirm that epigenetic clocks are accelerated epigenetic aging.

32 November 2025 The Insurance Times