Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians.
In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been teased all episode. “I am so nervous,” said Kim, “But I have never been more excited for something in my life.” Khloe was less thrilled. “I’m getting anxiety,” she muttered to Scott Disick, who was on his phone and definitely not listening. “It’s so much pressure.”
They were waiting for the results of a blood test that revealed their biological age, as opposed to their chronological age. Kris, 68, was actually 62. Kim, 43, was actually 34, and Scott Disick, 41, remained precisely 41 (“Scott used to party, I’ll just say that”). But it was Khloe Kardashian, 41, who took out the top spot with a biological age of 28, also revealed to have a “pace of aging” score of 0.72, meaning she is aging 28% slower than most people her age.
The storyline itself is an unsurprising one given the family have long been obsessed with their own ageing and frequently partake in body scans, IV drips and hyperbaric chambers in an attempt to fight the passage of time. But what is surprising is that the science they used came from The Dunedin Study, following 1,000 New Zealanders since 1972 and often described as the most detailed longitudinal study of health and development in the world.
Dunedin Study director and research professor Moana Theodore told The Spinoff she was thrilled to have their science promoted on such an enormous platform. “Although it’s surreal, in some ways, it’s not surprising,” she said. “Because here in New Zealand and here at the University of Otago, we do world-leading research on aging.” Although she was aware the Kardashians were taking the test, she didn’t know the results or how heavily it would feature.
The algorithm that was able to determine Khloe Kardashian’s world-leading pace-of-ageing score of 0.72 (“another Olympian in the family,” muttered Scott, while Khloe shrieked in ecstacy), is better known as The Dunedin Pace Tool. Thedore explained that from the age of 26, participants in The Dunedin Study have had their biological age regularly measured, looking at the deterioration of the body including the respiratory, kidney and cardiovascular systems.
“What we were able to do then was look at those study members who were ageing faster and those that were aging slower,” said Theodore. “From there, our researchers created an algorithm – the Dunedin Pace measure – that could then be used by others.” That algorithm is now freely available to scientists and researchers to use around the world. “I think that’s really where we can inform better practice and healthcare practices to support people as they age.”
While Theodore is thrilled with the Kardashian exposure, she said it is important to remember all the regular folk who have never flown to Vegas in a private jet, or shut down Luna Park so they could win a soft toy. “What makes this so special is that it is really about the everyday New Zealanders who have given half a century to this scientific research project,” said Theodore. “It’s through their goodwill and their contributions that we’re able to do this incredible science.”
And with the announcement today that The Kardashians has just been renewed for 20 more episodes on Disney+, there will undoubtedly be plenty more “incredible science” to come.