Health
Aging speeds up 'massively' at two points in one's lifetime, Stanford study finds: ‘Abrupt changes’
Aging may not be quite as gradual as it seems.
A new study from Stanford University in California has revealed that there are two periods when aging seems to accelerate.
These two spurts tend to occur around age 44 and again at age 60, the study found.
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In the study, 108 participants ranging from 25 to 75 years old gave blood and biological samples over the course of several years, according to a Stanford University press release.
A new study from Stanford University in California has revealed that there are two periods when aging seems to accelerate. (iStock)
The researchers analyzed more than 135,000 molecules and microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi), finding that most of them don’t change in a “gradual, chronological fashion.”
“We’re not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes,” said Michael Snyder, PhD, professor of genetics and the study’s senior author, in the release.
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“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 findings were published in the journal Nature Aging last month.
For those in their 60s, age-related changes tend to impact the organs and immune system, according to a doctor. (iStock)
Dr. Brittany Ferri, a New York-based occupational therapist with the National Council on Aging, agreed that aging doesn’t always happen steadily.
“Big changes can happen at certain points in your life,” Ferri, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “People tend to experience shifts that will impact their health going forward.”
“Certain phases will bring noticeable shifts in how the body functions.”
In their 40s, people are likely to face more stress or make lifestyle changes that could affect their well-being, and by the 60s, age-related changes will impact the organs and immune system, according to Ferri.
“With aging happening in distinct stages, certain phases will bring noticeable shifts in how the body functions,” she added.
The aging-health connection
These “abrupt changes” can have an impact on people’s health as they age, the study found.
“During your 40s and 60s, key molecules and microbes related to heart health and the immune system change considerably,” Ferri told Fox News Digital after reviewing the findings.
“In your 40s, changes in molecules that affect how your body processes fats and alcohol could raise your risk of heart disease if they’re not managed well,” she went on.
“In your 60s, shifts in your immune system can make you more prone to age-related health problems.”
The researchers noted that they were not surprised by the shift in the early 60s, as this is a time when age-related diseases and conditions tend to emerge. (iStock)
The researchers noted that they were not surprised by the shift in the early 60s, as this is a time when age-related diseases and conditions tend to emerge.
The surge in the mid-40s, however, was not expected. While they initially thought this shift was due to menopause or perimenopause in women, they realized it was also occurring for men at that age.
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“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,” first author Xiaotao Shen, PhD, a former Stanford Medicine postdoctoral scholar, said in the release.
“Identifying and studying these factors should be a priority for future research.”
The researchers emphasized the importance of healthy behaviors, like regular exercise and proper nutrition, to counteract the aging spurts. (iStock)
The main limitation is that these changes could be caused by lifestyle or behavioral factors that tend to emerge in the 40s and 60s, Snyder acknowledged.
Looking ahead, the team plans to conduct further research into these aging spurts.
“I’m a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”
They also emphasized the importance of healthy behaviors to counteract these changes.
“That could look like increasing exercise to protect your heart and maintain muscle mass at both ages or decreasing alcohol consumption in your 40s as your ability to metabolize alcohol slows,” the researchers wrote.
For those in their 40s, it’s important to eat healthy, manage stress, and cut back on alcohol to support the changes in metabolism and heart health, a doctor advised. (iStock)
Added Snyder, “I’m a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”
For those in their 40s, it’s important to eat healthy, manage stress, and cut back on alcohol to support the changes in metabolism and heart health, according to Ferri.
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“In your 60s, try to focus on staying active to help boost your immune system and stay at a healthy weight,” she recommended.
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The Stanford study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Stanford Data Science Initiative.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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