What’s the latest health trend? The anti-aging check-up, a comprehensive diagnosis of a person's biological age designed to detect, prevent and treat health problems linked to growing old.

Basically a beefed up version of the standard physical, with a list of extra tests that may include everything from imaging scans, detailed blood work to analysis of hormone levels, and a mental skills evaluation.

But can the check-up help turn back the clock? Many aging researchers say much of the evidence that supports the added testing is in bugs and test tubes.

Dr. Donald Hensrud helps direct the Mayo Clinic's Executive Health Program. His anti-aging check-up advice: invest instead in regular check-ups that include a detailed family history, heart disease, cancer and other appropriate screening tests, and advice about lifestyle changes.

"The basics of not smoking - regular physical activity - eating a healthy diet, and managing weight - those four factors can affect health m ore than any other factors," says Dr. Hensrud.

Fifty two year old Jim Kovach has adopted those basics as his personal anti-aging strategy.

"I call hitting fifty the beginning of the second half," says Kovach.

Kovach, a former pro football player, and a physician, is COO at the Buck Aging Institute outside of San Francisco where they are studying those bugs and animals to understand aging and help offset the menu of health problems that come with it.

"There are people to live to be 100 - why is that exception?" says Kovach.

A question science is starting to answer, notes Kovach, but until those answers are about people, he's sticking to the basics.