Have you ever noticed how some of your friends and co-workers seem to be aging more quickly than you… or even less quickly?
It turns out that, even if you’re all the same chronological age, you could be years apart when it comes to biological aging.
A new study has followed more than a thousand people in the same town from birth to present. The researchers measured 18 different biomarkers of aging among these people at the ages of 26, 23 and 38. These included an examination of the participant’s cardiovascular and metabolic status. Their immune systems, kidneys, livers lungs—even their DNA—were also tracked.
Then, the researchers compared the data they collected when the group was 38 years old against the original data from when they were 26.
The results were amazing.
Most study members aged at a normal pace. That’s one year’s worth of biological change for each chronological year that passed.
Others appeared not to age at all. However, some study members aged much faster, aging 2 or 3 years with the passage of each chronological year. Biological ages ranged from under 30 to over 60.
The young adults who aged more rapidly reported feeling in worse health. They showed worse balance, poor motor coordination and weren’t as strong. Additionally, they reported having more trouble completing daily tasks like climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
These faster aging young people also showed evidence of cognitive decline—compared to baseline testing they completed as children, their IQ scores had gone down by age 38.
Photographs of their retinal microvasculature told a similar story, indicating increased risk for stroke and dementia.
Plus, they weren’t just growing old on the inside. The changes were visible to the naked eye. When undergraduates rated pictures of the study members, they tended to rate the fast-agers as older.
The study authors note that most research to slow human aging is focused on older adults. However, their study shows that the process of accelerated aging begins much earlier. Thus, making modifiable changes, like exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet should start in young adulthood.
SOURCE: Belsky DW, et al. Quantification of biological aging in young adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jul 6.
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