Mid-40s and Early 60s: Critical Periods for Accelerated Aging

Mid-40s and Early 60s: Critical Periods for Accelerated Aging
Mid-40s and Early 60s: Critical Periods for Accelerated Aging. Credit | Getty images

United States: According to scientists, the sudden accumulation of wrinkles, aches, and pains, or if there is a commonly held sensation of having grown older almost overnight, then there might be a scientific explanation.

More about the finding

According to researchers, aging takes place in two accelerated bursts of moments rather than being considered a slow process.

A study that analyzed thousands of molecules in those whose ages belonged to 25 to 75 were found to have two main waves in relation to age-related changes at around ages 44 and again at 60.

The outcomes indicated the reason behind the jump in specific cases related to health, which included musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occurring at certain ages.

According to Prof Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study, “We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some really dramatic changes,” as the Guardian reported.

Moreover, “It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s – and that’s true no matter what class of molecules you look at,” he continued.

About the research

The research included 108 participants, who submitted their blood as well as tool samples and skin, oral, and nasal swabs every few months for almost seven years.

Further, the scientists went through a large bulk of molecular data and microbes. The abundance of many molecules and microbes did not show a gradual shift.

The scientists noted the shift in the largest amount when the people reached their mid-40s and early 60s.

According to Dr. Xiaotao Shen, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford Medical School and first author of the study who is now based at Nanyang Technological University Singapore, “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,” as Guardian reported.