Aging is not a slow and steady process, a study published in the journal Nature Aging reveals. Two drastic changes occur at ages 44 and 60, according to the scientists who wrote the study. These findings could explain why health problems, including cardiovascular disease, occur at certain ages.
The 30-year mark, then the 40- and 50-year mark, are often a source of anxiety. However, it would be useless to worry too much at this time, according to a study published in the review Nature Aging, relayed Wednesday August 14 par The GuardianThe scientists who conducted the study detected two major waves of age-related changes in humans: at age 44 and then at age 60. In other words, the scientists’ research suggests that rather than being a slow, steady process, aging occurs in at least two accelerated bursts.
Scientists led by Professor Michael Snyder, director of Stanford University’s Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, followed 108 healthy volunteers, aged 25 to 75, 51.9 percent of whom were women. The volunteers submitted blood and stool samples, as well as skin, oral and nasal swabs every three to six months for a period ranging from one to nearly seven years. The researchers evaluated 135,000 different molecules and microbes.
“Really spectacular changes”
“We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some really dramatic changes,” reacts to The Guardian Michael Snyder, the geneticist who talks about “a period of radical change” at 44 as at 60 years old, “whatever the class of molecules examined”.
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The peak in aging in the mid-40s shown in this study was unexpected. Scientists initially thought it was the result of perimenopausal changes in women, which skewed the results for the group as a whole. But data from this study indicate that similar changes are occurring in men in their mid-40s as well. “This suggests that even if menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes seen in women in their mid-40s, there are likely other, more important factors influencing these changes in both men and women,” comments Dr Xiaotao Shen, first author of the study, based at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Skin aging at 44 as at 60
The two waves of aging observed do not concern the same elements. The one observed at age 44 concerns molecules linked to cardiovascular diseases and the ability to metabolize caffeine, alcohol and lipids. The one observed at age 60 is linked to molecules involved in immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism and renal function. Molecules linked to the aging of the skin and muscles are concerned by both waves of aging.
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The findings highlighted in this study could therefore explain why peaks in certain health problems, including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease, occur at certain ages. Previous research suggested that a later peak in aging might occur at age 78. The latest study published in Nature Aging could not confirm these data as the oldest participants were 75 years old.
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