A new test claims to tell how well you’re ageing – and even when you’ll die. But I’d rather not know | Helen Pilcher

I think I’ll leave new methods to measure biological age to the Kardashians. Too much knowledge about your mortality can be bad for your health

In the season 5 finale of The Kardashians, the family took a commercially available blood test to discover how fast their bodies were ageing. It came as little surprise, given their privileged lifestyles, that the reality TV stars were said to be ageing more slowly than most mortals of the same age. Khloé, then 39, found she had a biological age of 28. Cue whoops of joy and much smugness.

The Kardashians join a growing list of celebrities who have taken similar tests and then crowed about their “biological ages”. Now, there’s a new test on the block.

Helen Pilcher is a science writer and the author of This Book May Cause Side Effects