A new study has demonstrated the sudden decline experienced by people at a certain age, indicating that the number of molecules and microorganisms increases or decreases sharply between the ages of 44 and 60.
Scientists at Stanford University, who published their study Wednesday in the journal Nature Aging, assessed thousands of different molecules in people aged 25 to 75, as well as their microbiomes — the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live inside the body and on the skin — and found that their numbers, for the most part, do not change gradually or chronologically.
Instead, there are two periods of rapid change throughout life, on average at ages 44 and 60.
“We’re not just changing gradually over time, but we’re changing really radically. It turns out the mid-40s are a time of radical change, as was the early 60s,” said Michael Snyder, which is likely to have an impact on health. In both cases, there were significant changes in molecules associated with cardiovascular disease, and molecules associated with immune function changed in people in their 60s, according to a Stanford University statement.
The scientists used data from 108 people they followed to better understand the biology of aging. Among other things, they found four distinct age patterns, which show that each person’s kidneys, liver, metabolism, and immune system age at different rates.
The researchers analyzed biological samples every few months for several years and tracked thousands of different molecules, including RNA, proteins, and metabolites, as well as changes in the participants’ microbiomes. And they noticed that the abundance of molecules and microbes changed, increasing or decreasing.
About 81% of all molecules studied showed nonlinear fluctuations in quantity, meaning that at a certain age they changed more than at other times, such as at 40 and 60 years of age.
Snyder said the fact that so many radical changes occurred in the early 1960s may not be surprising, since many risks for diseases and other age-related events are known to increase at that stage of life. The sheer number of changes that occurred in the mid-1940s was surprising.
At first, the scientists assumed that menopause or perimenopause was causing major changes in women, skewing the entire group, but when they divided the study group by gender, they found that changes also occurred in men around age 40.
“This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes seen in women in their 40s, there are likely other, more significant factors influencing them in both men and women. Identifying and studying these factors should be a priority,” said Xiaotao Shen of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
People aged 40 showed significant changes in the levels of molecules associated with alcohol, caffeine and lipid metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and skin and muscle.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.