Aging accelerates at two points in life

The August issue of the scientific journal “Nature Aging” published the results of research by scientists from Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. They studied 108 people aged 25 to 75 for several years to observe the aging processes in their cells, proteins and microbiome, or the bacteria, viruses and fungi that live on the skin and inside the body.

Scientists have found that there are huge changes in the areas studied during life. In the case of about 81% of them, these are non-linear changes, which means that they sometimes progress faster, sometimes slower. As it was found, the aging processes accelerated particularly in two periods of life – around the age of 44 and 60. – We do not change linearly over time, these are really rapid changes. They occur in the mid-forties (fifth decade of life – editor's note) and in the early sixties (seventh decade of life – editor's note). We confirmed this for every class of cells we examined – said the head of the genetics department at Stanford University, Prof. Michael Snyder, one of the authors of the study.

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– The fact that so many drastic changes occur just after the age of 60 is not surprising, because it is known that the risk of many age-related diseases (…) increases at this point – said Prof. Snyder. However, the rapid number of changes between the ages of 40 and 50 surprised researchers. Initially, they assumed that this was not a common feature of the entire population and perhaps only affected women, due to the fact that at this age they go through menopause and perimenopause. However, the researchers found that equally intensive changes occur at this time in men. – This suggests that although menopause or perimenopause contribute to the changes observed in women after the age of 40, there must be other, overarching factors that trigger important changes in both sexes. Identifying them should be a priority for future research – commented co-author of the publication, Dr. Xiaotao Shen. The study indicated that in people aged around 44, the changes primarily concern the metabolism of alcohol, caffeine and lipids, as well as the circulatory system, skin and muscles. In the case of people over 60, the most important changes were observed in the metabolism of carbohydrates and caffeine, as well as in the regulation of their immunity, kidney function and susceptibility to circulatory system diseases.

Scientists do not rule out that some of the observed changes are not caused by biological factors, but may be related to lifestyle or behavioral factors characteristic of people at a given age. As explained by Prof. Snyder, for example, alcohol metabolism dysfunction may result from the fact that, according to statistics, it is in people in their forties that there is a significant increase in the consumption of this stimulant.

The team now plans to investigate exactly what factors cause the detected changes. However, the researchers already suggest that in the two periods of life described, people should pay more attention to their health and fitness. They say that people in their 40s and 60s should increase their physical activity to protect their circulatory system and maintain an appropriate level of muscle mass. After the age of 40, they should also limit alcohol consumption.

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