Study shows that people age at dramatic bursts at specific times


I know we’ve all probably done this at some point, but I have to ask, so here goes: Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and asked, “Wow, where did all of those new gray hairs suddenly come from?” Or, and I’m totally pulling this scenario out of thin air, but have you ever spent an entire Sunday taking heavy boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage and then crouching on your knees for hours while putting up Christmas lights only to wake up the next morning to find that, for the first time ever, your arms and legs are super sore?

According to a new study done by Stanford researchers, there’s a reason why we suddenly seem to notice or feel our aging all at once. In a study involving 108 people ages 25 to 75, researchers tracked “thousands of different molecules.” The results revealed that we age in “dramatic bursts” at specific ages. The first aging burst happens around 44 and the second one is around 60.

Somewhere in your mid-40s, you start noticing obvious signs of aging that seem to arrive overnight. You assume it was a gradual process that you just hadn’t noticed, but it sure as heck felt like it happened really fast. New research indicates that may very well be the case. A study from researchers at Stanford tracked thousands of different molecules in people age 25 to 75 and found that people tend to make two big leaps in aging—one around age 44 and another around age 60. These findings indicate that aging can actually happen in bursts.

“We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some really dramatic changes,” said senior study author Michael Snyder, Ph.D, geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University. “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.”

The researchers assumed the mid-40s changes would be attributed to menopausal or perimenopausal changes in women influencing the overall numbers, but when they separated the results by sex they saw similar changes in men in their 40s.

“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. Identifying and studying these factors should be a priority for future research,” said study author Xiaotao Shen, PhD, a former Stanford Medicine postdoctoral scholar who now teaches at Nanyang Technological University Singapore.

The study included 108 participants who submitted blood and other samples every few months for several years. The scientists tracked age-related changes in 135,000 different molecules—nearly 250 billion distinct data points—to see how aging occurs.

The study may shed light on the reasons for jumps in certain diseases and maladies at certain ages. For the 40-somethings, scientists found significant changes in molecules related to alcohol, caffeine and lipid metabolism; cardiovascular disease; and skin and muscle. For those in their 60s, changes related to carbohydrate and caffeine metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, cardiovascular disease, and skin and muscle were found.

The study authors did note that lifestyle might play a role in some of these changes. For instance, alcohol metabolism may be influenced by people drinking more heavily in their 40s, which tends to be a period of higher stress for many people. However, the researchers added that these bursts of aging in the mid-40s and early 60s indicate that people may want to pay closer attention to their health around those ages and make lifestyle changes that support greater overall health, such as increasing exercise or limiting alcohol.

The research team plans to study the drivers of these aging bursts to find out why they happen at these ages, but whatever the reasons, it’s nice to know that the seemingly sudden onset of age-related woes isn’t just in our imaginations.

[From Upworthy]

I was talking about this study with two of my girlfriends last week. We all turned 40 within a few months of one another and all year, we’ve been comparing all of the pesky ways our bodies are changing and what not. Two of us are February babies and we have been pretty consistent in our experiences, from new aches and pains to middle-of-the-night anxiety to unannounced hairs that show up in new locations, and a whole new form of exhaustion. We all agreed that while having data like this come out makes us feel our mortality a bit more, it’s also somewhat comforting to know that there’s a biological reason for certain big aging milestones. It’s also nice to know that everyone else our age is going through the same changes at around the same time, which means we’re all in this together. All of this said, it really is so interesting to know just how much basic biology contributes.

Photos credit: Ala J Graczyk, Kampus Production and RDNE Stock project via Pexels

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28 Responses to “Study shows that people age at dramatic bursts at specific times”

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  1. Jais says:

    Oh no. I’m 44! I feel like I’ve def aged but it hasn’t been too bad. But apparently it’s meant to be happening soon😂

    • Dre says:

      44 here to, and I’m definitely noticing it. I just feel and look saggier now.

    • Amy says:

      Sorry, but it will be coming for you shortly, as it does for all of us, LOL. There was a rapid decline for me around 46 and it was very noticeable.

    • StillDouchesOfCambridge says:

      Im dowager between us lol I’m still in pretty good shape! But the memory loss and grey hair!!! Not even reading glasses yet!!!

    • AlpineWitch says:

      My first burst happened at 36, second one at 49… so you won’t fall apart, believe me!! 🥰

  2. Pinkosaurus says:

    My husband turned 50 and suddenly needed reading glasses. A few years later, I turned 50 and within a year am borrowing all his reading glasses. Aging definitely happens in little jumps.

  3. Fifee says:

    I’m about to turn 54 but I’ve noticed a dramatic difference within the past 7 years. It’s not only that I look older but I feel it too.

    I have a number of health issues but the last one I was diagnosed with, under active thyroid, has aged me the most along with becoming post menopausal.

    I said to my OH recently that when I look in the mirror that I no longer recognise myself, up until this past year I still had fairly youthful looking skin with no deepest wrinkles other than laughter/smile lines around my eyes. I’m not vain by any means, but this change in my face really makes me sad as it’s a stark reminder that I am in fact getting old.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I tell ya, that’s one of the great things about being extremely nearsighted. When I look at the mirror in the morning, I still see the same me I’ve been since, oh, my early 30s. 😉

  4. woodlands10 says:

    Double 4 here as well

  5. K says:

    At 45 I went into perimenopause. At 52 I am basically a mess. I exercise, strength and mobility train and try to get through. It’s rough.

  6. manda says:

    I’m just learning about this study, and it’s vindicating, because I have been telling people for a few years that I was totally fine and then it was like a switch was flipped and everything started falling apart. I was 46 (am 47 now), so I blamed it on perimenopause, as the article noted. It’s funny because my husband and my friends and I have just been blaming EVERYTHING (including, like, wifi problems) on peri, but apparently it might just be due to my cells breaking down. It’s probably both

    • Amy says:

      It was 46 for me too (I’m also 47 now). It was crazy how within a span of a few months, everything kind of went off the rails.

  7. Bumblebee says:

    If we have ‘growth spurts’ as kids, then aging like this makes sense too.

  8. Giddy says:

    For those younger than me (most of you) all I can say about menopause is that this too shall pass. It’s a gradual thing, but it does happen. When the day came that I realized my hot flashes were over I was overjoyed. I have left places and gatherings many times because I was suddenly drenched with sweat and my face would turn bright red. Now I deal with the aches of arthritis, but I prefer that to menopause, mood swings, and various related problems. I recommend having a group of friends to commiserate together and also a doctor that you like and trust. I changed doctors because the one I was going to showed no empathy or understanding of what I was going through. He also offered little support. So after polling my friends I changed doctors and that helped me so much! I highly recommend finding a doctor who will actually listen to you.

  9. Normades says:

    Post 50 I feel like I’m aging so much more rapidly. I still have nice skin/minimum wrinkles but it’s the loss of elasticity that I find the most annoying. Jowls and turkey neck starting to take form, sigh. I admit I am vain and if I had the money/time to get a good surgeon I would. I feel that collagen supplements and self facial massages help a bit as does lots of sleep and drinking less.

  10. therese says:

    What about the phenomena of still thinking you are a kid, but your outsides are not congruent with what you think of yourself on the inside?

  11. Joy says:

    Well f*ck. I’m about to turn 60 and I aged A LOT when I turned 50. I’m so screwed.

    • Deborah says:

      I felt a turn in the corner in my forties, not so much in my fifties, but jeebuz the hairpin turn of 65 was a reckoning I’m still trying to get my head (and aching bones) around. My Mom used to say that getting older wasn’t for the faint of heart…I still really hate when she’s right.

  12. BeanieBean says:

    Ha! As I read the headline, I thought yeah, sh*t started going downhill at 40; but whoa, with 60 things seriously changed! And science backs this up! “The first aging burst happens around 44 and the second one is around 60.” That has totally & completely been my experience, dang it! On the plus side, I got a new hip & that has turned out fantastic!

  13. Lucy says:

    Here’s what I keep telling myself (at 45): I look a lot older than I used to and also aging is absolutely the best case scenario. I knew a woman who died of cancer at 42 and left behind a 6-year-old. She would’ve given anything for the privilege of getting old.

    • Margie says:

      Yes to this. I fret about getting older, but aging truly is a privilege. Its a mindf*ck when I am about to tell someone I’m 28- but oh wait I’m 44, but I’m lucky to be able to keep getting older.

    • kgeo says:

      My kid keeps making fun of me for being ‘old’ and I just tell him it’s preferable to the alternative. Kids are dumb.

  14. Abbie says:

    A study of 108 participants is not a significant statistical result. It’s barely scraping the surface and cannot be used to generalize a population of nearly 10 billion people.
    I’ve seen people age dramatically at various stages in life due to their experiences and lifestyle. I’ve seen friends age in their 20s and 30s and have friends who still look more or less the same in their late 40s. Genetics and how hard of a life you have led play a much larger role than random numbers. Childbirth plays a huge part too as does trauma and physical labor. Not to mention race plays a part too. I wonder how diverse was this study.
    We all age but we don’t age the same way and at the same rate for sure.

  15. SarahCS says:

    Mine was from 40 (the perimenopause kicked in at 42 and that was whole other bag of fun). I’d always looked a bit younger for my age but not after 40. BOOM. I’m 46 now and many mornings I see my mother looking back at me from the bathroom mirror. As soon as I don’t get enough sleep I’m haggard.

  16. Flamingo says:

    i’m 53 and I can feel myself hitting a wall. Due to adult acne I have been diligent about skin care since my early 20’s. And very diligent about applying separate SPF for my face. I know I need to be more diligent on diet and exercise. I am lucky I don’t have wrinkles yet.

    But honestly, my fear is I wake up one morning looking like a Shar Pei.