Glycan age test
GlycanAge test
Finger-prick biological age test that reads IgG glycans
Our reviews rest on published sources, not hands-on testing. Our method
Porsche also cofounded Superhuman Chambers, which sells hyperbaric chambers · About the author. This is general information, not medical advice, and no clinician has reviewed it.
The verdict
GlycanAge reads sugar chains on IgG antibodies from a finger-prick blood card and reports a biological age and glycan indexes. The one-off kit is $499 with a 40-minute specialist call included, and US samples go to a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine. Published papers link IgG glycans to age, but the score's formula isn't public and we found no trial showing a lower glycan age means better health.
It costs $499, a used or posted kit can't be refunded, and no published trial shows that a lower glycan age means better health.
At a glanceGlycan age test
- What it measures
- The balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory sugar chains (glycans)…
- Sample
- At-home finger-prick blood on a collection card with four circles to fill…
- Lab
- US samples are analyzed in a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California
- Turnaround
- Results in 3 to 4 weeks per GlycanAge's results page
Model reviewed: One-off kit: at-home finger-prick blood card, lab report and a 40-minute specialist call, $499. Subscriptions run $400 to $449 a test
US price, checked
No affiliate commission on this link. Check the exact variant before buying.
- Returns GlycanAge's refund policy lets you cancel within 14 days of receiving the kit if the kit is sealed and unused. See conditions
- Delivery GlycanAge says a kit generally takes 3 to 5 days to arrive in the USA. See conditions
About this price
The One-Off Purchase is $499 in US dollars on GlycanAge's shop page, before tax. The page fills in its plans and prices when it opens, so the price isn't in the page's static text. Other plans listed there: a test every 12 months at $449, every 6 months at $424 and every 3 months at $400 (each a subscription you can cancel), and a Two-Test Bundle at $898. The 12-month, 6-month and bundle plans show $499 or $998 as the crossed-out price. No sale price was shown on the one-off kit. GlycanAge doesn't state a delivery charge on the pages checked.
A GOOD FIT FOR
An adult who wants a glycan-based biological age with a specialist call included and may retest.
- You want a biological age read from IgG glycans, a different signal from the DNA methylation clocks other kits use
- You'd like a 40-minute call with a specialist included in the price
- You plan to retest and want to compare results from the same method over time
THINK TWICE IF
- You want a diagnosis: GlycanAge says it isn't a diagnostic test for any disease
- You want a refund after you open the kit or post the sample
- You're under 18, which GlycanAge's terms bar
- You want a score with outcome data from independent groups: we found no outside validation of the score as sold
- You're recovering from surgery, an infection or a flare-up of a chronic condition: GlycanAge says to wait
What still needs checking
- The delivery charge for a US order, which the pages checked don't state
- The name of the Irvine lab and its CLIA number, which the pages checked don't give
- The formula behind the biological age number, and whether it matches the glycan index in the 2014 paper
- The study behind the plus or minus 1 year margin of error
- How well one person's result repeats across two samples taken days apart, which no source we read reports
- Whether the 14-day cancellation right in the refund policy applies the same way to US buyers, since the policy is written around a legal right to cancel
- How long GlycanAge keeps a sample or the data, which the pages checked don't spell out
- Whether any independent group has validated the GlycanAge score as sold, since our search of published studies was not exhaustive
- Whether a regulator has acted against GlycanAge. A web search wasn't run, and FDA, FTC and state databases weren't searched
Is the GlycanAge test worth it?
It can be worth it if you want a glycan-based biological age with a specialist call included, and you accept that it’s a research estimate. The one-off kit is $499 and includes a report and a 40-minute call111. We found no trial showing that a lower glycan age means better health. GlycanAge’s own terms call the report research, informational and educational use only13.
How much does the GlycanAge test cost?
The one-off kit costs $499 in US dollars, before tax1. Subscriptions cost less per test: $449 for a test every 12 months, $424 every 6 months and $400 every 3 months1. A Two-Test Bundle is $8981. GlycanAge doesn’t state a delivery charge, and prepaid return shipping is included15.
How does the GlycanAge test work?
You prick a finger, fill four circles on a blood card, let it dry for 2 hours and post it back in the prepaid envelope89. The lab reads the sugar chains (glycans) on your IgG antibodies. GlycanAge says the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory glycans gives your biological age5. US samples go to a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California, and results take 3 to 4 weeks24.
How accurate is the GlycanAge test?
GlycanAge says it analyzes each sample in triplicate and describes the biomarker as stable with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 year2. It doesn’t link a study for that figure. The 2014 paper found that three IgG glycans explained up to 58% of the variance in chronological age in 5,117 people20. That paper reports a glycan index, and GlycanAge doesn’t publish how its own score is built5.
Is GlycanAge legit?
GlycanAge publishes its terms, refund policy and a help center, and says US samples run in a CLIA-certified lab41213. Peer-reviewed papers describe how IgG glycans change with age and with weight loss2022. It doesn’t name the Irvine lab or give a CLIA number4. The terms say the report is not for diagnosis, and a kit can’t be refunded once opened or posted1213.
The practical details.
| Exact variant | One-off kit: at-home finger-prick blood card, lab report and a 40-minute specialist call, $499. Subscriptions run $400 to $449 a test |
|---|---|
| What it measures | The balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory sugar chains (glycans) on IgG antibodies, per GlycanAge. It reports a biological age plus glycan indexes it ties to inflammation, immune protection, vascular resilience and stress and recovery |
| Sample | At-home finger-prick blood on a collection card with four circles to fill, dried for 2 hours. A venous sample is possible if you contact GlycanAge first |
| Lab | US samples are analyzed in a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California. Samples from the rest of the world go to Genos in Zagreb, Croatia. GlycanAge doesn't name the Irvine lab on the pages checked |
| Turnaround | Results in 3 to 4 weeks per GlycanAge's results page. Its help center says analysis takes about 2 to 3 weeks once the sample reaches the lab |
| Precision claims | GlycanAge says each sample is analyzed in triplicate and describes the biomarker as stable with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 year. It doesn't link a study for that figure |
| What you receive | An online report with a biological age number, glycan indexes, comparison data and personalized insights, plus an AI interpretation tool in your account. A one-to-one 40-minute Zoom call with a specialist is included and is valid for 60 days after results are ready |
| Shipping to the US | GlycanAge says a kit generally takes 3 to 5 days to arrive in the USA. Prepaid return shipping is included. The pages checked don't state a delivery charge |
| Plans | One-off $499. Subscriptions to test every 12 months ($449), 6 months ($424) or 3 months ($400) can be canceled from your account and stay active to the end of the billing period. A Two-Test Bundle is $898. GlycanAge recommends retesting every 6 to 12 months |
| When to wait | GlycanAge says to wait after surgery, a severe infection, a flare-up of a chronic condition, a recent vaccination, during pregnancy, after a recent major medication change or during unusually high physical or emotional stress |
| Eligibility and data | Users must be 18 or older. The terms say a sample and its data may be processed outside the country where you live, and that the report is for research, informational and educational use only, not for diagnosis |
| Dimensions | No physical device to keep. The kit holds a blood collection card, 3 lancets, 2 alcohol wipes, 1 gauze pad, 2 plasters, a plastic bag with desiccant, a return envelope and instructions. GlycanAge doesn't state the kit's size or weight. |
| Materials | Not applicable, since there's no hardware. The kit is a single-use collection card with lancets and wipes. GlycanAge doesn't state what the card or lancets are made of. |
Before you buy
InstallationNothing to install
Nothing to install. You register the kit online, wash and dry your hands, prick a finger and let drops fall onto the card to fill all four circles. GlycanAge says to avoid touching the card with your skin, let it air-dry for 2 hours, seal it in the bag with the desiccant and post it back, ideally the same day. A venous blood draw can be used if you contact GlycanAge first.
WarrantyNo warranty
No warranty. GlycanAge's terms say its services are provided "AS-IS". If the lab can't process your sample, the terms say GlycanAge reprocesses it free, then offers a new kit free, and then refunds the amount paid less shipping and handling.
ReturnsGlycanAge's refund policy lets you cancel within 14 days of receiving the kit…
GlycanAge's refund policy lets you cancel within 14 days of receiving the kit if the kit is sealed and unused. Once the seal is broken, or the sample is posted to the lab, the order is non-refundable. You pay to send an unused kit back. If the lab can't process your sample after a reprocess and a replacement kit, GlycanAge refunds the price paid less shipping and handling. A result you didn't expect isn't grounds for a refund.
More about this assessment
GlycanAge is an at-home biological age test that reads sugar chains (glycans) attached to IgG antibodies, which GlycanAge ties to chronic, low-grade inflammation. You prick a finger, dry four blood spots on a card and post it back in a prepaid envelope. US samples go to a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California. The one-off kit is $499, and it includes a report with a biological age, glycan indexes and a 40-minute one-to-one call with a specialist. Subscriptions cost less per test. GlycanAge's results page says 3 to 4 weeks. Published research on IgG glycans and age exists, and GlycanAge lists several of the papers on its own site, but we found no trial showing that a lower glycan age means better health. GlycanAge's terms say the report is for research, informational and educational use only.
Strengths on paper
- A different method from the DNA methylation clocks: it reads IgG glycans from a finger-prick card
- US samples run in a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California, per GlycanAge
- A 40-minute one-to-one call with a specialist is included in the price
- Prepaid return shipping is included
- A kit generally arrives in 3 to 5 days in the USA, per GlycanAge
- Peer-reviewed papers describe how IgG glycans change with age and with weight loss
Limitations
- Retests cost $400 to $499 each, so tracking a trend adds up
- A used or posted kit can't be refunded
- Results take 3 to 4 weeks, per GlycanAge
- GlycanAge doesn't publish the formula behind its biological age, so it can't be checked against the 2014 paper's glycan index
- The weight-loss study followed 37 patients, and the cardiovascular paper is cross-sectional
- We found no trial showing that lowering a glycan age improves health
- GlycanAge's terms call the report research, informational and educational, and say not to change your health behavior on its basis alone
Running costs.
PLAN YOUR OWNERSHIP COSTS
What will it cost to own?
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3-year planning total
$499.00Every field has a value. This is an estimate, not a quote.
Energy component: $0.00
Purchase + installation + years × (annual consumables + annual other) + watts/1000 × hours/day × 365 × years × $/kWh. Annualized allowances, not an exact replacement schedule. Excludes taxes, shipping, finance and resale unless entered.Replacement parts & cost assumptions
Recorded recurring parts and refills:
- Retest kit (one-off) or subscription: $499 every 12 months. Optional. A repeat one-off kit is $499, and the 12-month subscription is $449 a test. GlycanAge recommends retesting every 6 to 12 months. It isn't counted in the yearly cost, since a single test needs no repeat.
- The purchase is the $499 one-off kit with the report and the 40-minute call included, so the three-year figure is $499 if you test once.
- Retesting costs the same again with a one-off kit. At the 12-month subscription's $449, three yearly tests cost $1,347. At the 6-month plan's $424, six tests over three years cost $2,544. Those aren't counted here, since they depend on how often you retest.
- GlycanAge doesn't state a delivery charge on the pages checked, so none is counted.
- Extra specialist sessions are sold separately and aren't counted.
- The test uses no power, so power draw and daily hours are 0.
Evidence & sources.
Are longevity blood tests and biological-age clocks worth it? Our evidence review grades the research as Not supported. That grade is about the claim, not about this product.
- Manufacturer claimGlycanAge sells an at-home finger-prick test that reads IgG glycans and reports a biological age and glycan indexes. The one-off kit is $499 in US dollars with a 40-minute specialist call included. US samples go to a CLIA-certified lab in Irvine, California, and results take 3 to 4 weeks. Price, contents, lab location, turnaround and shipping all come from GlycanAge's own pages.14671115 Not independently verified. The pages checked don't name the Irvine lab or give a CLIA number, and the CLIA status wasn't checked against the CMS lookup. The shop page fills in its prices when it opens, so the $499 comes from the same plan listing that the page displays.
- Manufacturer claimGlycanAge's terms and refund policy say the service is for research, informational and educational use only and is not a diagnostic. Its help center says it is not a test for a specific disease. The refund policy lets you cancel an unused, sealed kit within 14 days and refunds nothing once the seal is broken or the sample is posted, except where the lab can't process it.121319 The policy is written around a legal 14-day right to cancel. It doesn't say how that applies to US buyers.
- Published studyIn 5,117 people from four European populations, IgG glycosylation changed with age, and a combination of three glycans (FA2B, FA2G2 and FA2BG2) explained up to 58% of the variance in chronological age, more than telomere length did. The leftover variance correlated with physiological markers tied to biological age. The authors concluded that IgG glycosylation is linked to both chronological and biological age.2024 Krištić et al., Journal of Gerontology Series A, 2014. GlycanAge lists it on its publications page. It is a cross-sectional study of age, not of lifespan or health outcomes, and it reports a glycan index, not GlycanAge's commercial score. GlycanAge doesn't publish how its score is built.
- Published studyA community study of 701 Han Chinese adults aged 23 to 68 found that eleven IgG glycans changed with age. Specific combinations explained 23.3% to 45.4% of the variance in chronological age, and the combined glycan features correlated with fasting plasma glucose and aspartate aminotransferase.2124 Yu et al., Medicine (Baltimore), 2016. It repeated the age pattern in a population outside Europe, and it also reports how well the glycans fit age, not health outcomes.
- Published studyIn 37 people with obesity who went on a low-calorie diet and then had bariatric surgery, IgG glycans moved over a year of follow-up toward the profile linked to a younger biological age. In 1,680 TwinsUK participants, a BMI drop over 20 years was linked to a decrease in agalactosylated glycans and an increase in digalactosylated ones. The authors concluded that weight loss reduced glycan age.2224 Greto et al., International Journal of Obesity, 2021. It shows glycans can change with large weight loss. It doesn't show that a lower glycan age improves health or that lifestyle changes smaller than surgery move the score.
- Published studyIn 2,970 women from the TwinsUK cohort, eight IgG glycan traits were associated with a 10-year cardiovascular risk score, and the associations replicated in 967 women from another cohort. A combination of IgG glycans and GlycA was linked to carotid and femoral plaque on ultrasound. It is a cross-sectional association study and can't show cause.23 Menni et al., Circulation Research, 2018. It is a cross-sectional association study, mostly in women, and it doesn't test whether GlycanAge's score predicts anything.
Sources (24)
- GlycanAge shop: the GlycanAge test plans and prices GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- GlycanAge home page: Measure your biological age GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How long does shipping take, and what should I do if my kit has not arrived? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Where is my sample analyzed? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- GlycanAge: our science GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How long does analysis take? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- What is included in my GlycanAge kit? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How do I collect my blood sample? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How do I return my sample, and how soon should I post it? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Can I use a venous blood sample instead? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- What can I expect from my report and results interpretation session? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- GlycanAge Refund Policy (last updated 2 September 2026) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- GlycanAge Terms and Conditions GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How should I interpret my GlycanAge result? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Does my kit include return shipping? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How often should I retest? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- How do I cancel my subscription? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- When should I wait before taking the test? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Can GlycanAge diagnose specific diseases? (GlycanAge help center) GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Glycans are a novel biomarker of chronological and biological ages (Krištić et al., J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2014) Journal of Gerontology: Series A · study · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Profiling IgG N-glycans as potential biomarker of chronological and biological ages: a community-based study in a Han Chinese population (Yu et al., Medicine 2016) Medicine (Baltimore) · study · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Extensive weight loss reduces glycan age by altering IgG N-glycosylation (Greto et al., Int J Obes 2021) International Journal of Obesity · study · checked Nov 7, 2026
- Glycosylation profile of immunoglobulin G is cross-sectionally associated with cardiovascular disease risk score and subclinical atherosclerosis in two independent cohorts (Menni et al., Circ Res 2018) Circulation Research · study · checked Nov 7, 2026
- GlycanAge publications GlycanAge · manufacturer · checked Nov 7, 2026
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About this review. The facts on this page come from manufacturer pages and published studies, checked Nov 7, 2026. The sources are listed above.
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