People age quickly in two bursts during middle and later life, according to new research that highlights the “nonlinear” timeline of ageing. Our biological and chronological clocks may not be quite in sync, according to a new study from Stanford University that found that people age rapidly in at least two spurts: once at age 44, and again at age 60. The study, which was published in the journal , tracked the pace of molecular change for 108 people aged 25 to 75 over a median of 1.
7 years. While it’s a small sample, the findings have serious health implications, given the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other problems increases with age. “We’re not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes,” Michael Snyder, director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and the study’s senior author, “It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s”.
Those two periods weren’t exactly alike. For example, around the participants’ mid-40s, there were changes in molecules related to cardiovascular disease and lipid and alcohol metabolism, suggesting people’s bodies break down alcohol and fats less efficiently once they reach this age. Meanwhile, in their early 60s, there was a “rapid decline” in immune regulation, which could help explain why older individuals are more vulnerable to illness.
The researchers also found people aged 60 and up were .