Aging is not a slow, linear process, according to new research from Stanford researchers. In fact, aging, particularly metabolism slowing and skin wrinkling, may happen in what scientists describe as “ age-related waves ” versus a steady climb. The study published in the Nature Aging journal found that the body’s molecules and the microbes and bacteria that make up the gut microbiome experience rapid change at two key intervals: Age 44 and 60.
“We’re not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes,” Michael Snyder, PhD, professor of genetics at Stanford University and one of the study’s researchers, said in the university’s press coverage . “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.
” Molecular change, when the molecules and microbes increase or decrease the most, impacts the body’s risk of chronic disease, the ability to fight off disease, and the pace of aging, per the study. The changes in people’s 40s were closely tied to heart disease, skin and muscle function, and how people metabolize caffeine, fat, and alcohol. The molecular changes in peoples’ 60s play a role in oxidative stress, immune health, heart disease, caffeine metabolism, kidney disease, and skin and muscle aging.
It is in line with the 12 hallmarks of aging , such as chronic inflammation and cellular senescence, that happen on a molecular level as people gr.