Stanford University researchers have some bad news for elder millennials—you’re about to get real old, real fast. At least on a molecular level. That’s because the researchers found that the aging process involves two significant bursts of rapid molecular changes, first at 44 and then again at 60.
The new research, published in the Nature Aging medical journal, describes “nonlinear patterns in molecular markers of aging,” providing insight into why age suddenly catches up to with people in their 40s and 60s. The study tracked over 135,000 different molecules and microbes in 108 people between the ages of 25 and 75. They took samples of everything: blood, skin, nasal and oral swabs, poop. The works.
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The researchers found that instead of gracefully and gradually declining as you get older, your body goes through sudden shifts in the amount of molecular changes you experience.
The first wave of changes happens at around 44. All the molecules relating to cardiovascular health, lipid processing, and metabolizing alcohol and caffeine start to change, getting a whole lot worse at their jobs than they were before. When you hit 60, your molecules kind of just fall apart. Immune regulation, kidney function, skin and muscle elasticity, carbohydrate metabolism—everything starts to go.
The sudden molecular changes aren’t isolated to a specific gender, either. Men and women were equally affected, even after factoring in menopause or perimenopause for women in their mid-40s. The researchers say there’s still a lot of work to be done to figure out why these abrupt changes take place and what they mean for our health. It could explain why people in their 40s and early 60s are more susceptible to neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases and illnesses.
As is usually the addendum tacked on to the end of these kinds of news stories, the researchers say that increasing exercise and not eating like you have a death wish can help manage the impact of the sudden age explosions as you get older.
