Research suggests that rather than being a slow and steady process, aging occurs in at least two accelerated bursts.
The findings could explain why spikes in certain health issues including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occur at certain ages.
The mid-40s ageing spike was unexpected and initially assumed to be a result of perimenopausal changes in women skewing results for the whole group.
The first wave of changes included molecules linked to cardiovascular disease and the ability to metabolise caffeine, alcohol and lipids.
The pattern fits with previous evidence that the risk of many age-related diseases does not increase incrementally, with Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease risk showing a steep uptick after 60.
A scientific explanation might exist if you’ve noticed an abrupt accumulation of wrinkles, aches and pains, or an overall feeling that you’ve aged virtually overnight. According to research, aging happens in at least two faster spurts rather than being a gradual process.
The research, which monitored thousands of distinct molecules in participants ranging in age from 25 to 75, identified two significant waves of aging-related changes at approximately 44 and 60 years of age. The findings may help to explain why certain health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders, have peaks at particular ages.
We’re not merely undergoing slow, steady change. Prominent author of the study and geneticist Prof. Michael Snyder of Stanford University’s Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine stated, “There are some really dramatic changes.”.
It turns out that regardless of the class of molecules you examine, the mid-1940s and the early 1960s are periods of significant change. “.
Over a period of one to nearly seven years, 108 volunteers were followed up with, monthly, blood and stool samples as well as skin, oral, and nasal swabs. The microbes (the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that reside in the participants’ skin and guts) and 135,000 distinct molecules (RNA, proteins, and metabolites) were evaluated by the researchers.
A gradual and chronological shift in the abundance of most molecules and microbes was not observed. These changes tended to happen in people who were in their mid-40s and early 60s, according to the scientists who searched for clusters of molecules with the biggest variations.
The mid-40s ageing spike was not expected, and at first it was thought that women’s perimenopausal changes were distorting the group’s overall results. Yet the information also showed that men in their mid-40s were experiencing comparable changes.
Dr. Xiaotao Shen, the study’s first author and a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Medical School who is currently based at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, said, “This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes observed in women in their mid-40s, there are likely other, more significant factors influencing these changes in both men and women.”.
The first wave of alterations involved metabolizing lipids, alcohol, and caffeine as well as chemicals connected to cardiovascular disease. The molecules implicated in immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, and kidney function were part of the second wave of changes. At both times, molecules associated with the aging of the muscles and skin changed. The oldest participants in the most recent study were 75 years old, which precluded the possibility of a later age spike around the age of 78.
With the risk of Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease showing a sharp uptick after 60, the pattern is consistent with prior research showing that the risk of many age-related diseases does not increase incrementally. Alternatively, lifestyle or behavioral factors may be connected to some of the changes. For example, an increase in alcohol consumption during the mid-40s, which can be a stressful time in life, may be the cause of the change in alcohol metabolism.
The results, according to the authors, could be used to better target interventions, such as increasing exercise during times of faster muscle loss. Snyder declared, “I really think that we should try to change our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”.
