Researchers have discovered that humans age at the molecular level in two faster bursts, one around age 44 and the other at age 60.

Scientists from Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore tracked 108 people for several years to look for aging changes in their molecules, including RNA, proteins, and microbiomes, in a study that was published in the journal Nature Aging.

The researchers discovered that aging in humans is not a linear, gradual process. Instead, at 44 and 60 years old, most of the molecules they examined displayed rapid, non-linear alterations.

The study’s first author, Xiaotao Shen, an assistant professor of microbiome medicine at Nanyang Technological University, stated that the findings demonstrate that “we are not becoming old gradually.” He went on to say that certain moments in time are especially crucial to our aging and health.

For instance, the body’s capacity to metabolize caffeine significantly declines, first around 40 and then again around 60.According to Michael Snyder, the chair of Stanford’s genetics department and study author, a loss in components involved in metabolizing alcohol is indicative of the two waves of aging and is particularly apparent around the age of 40. Snyder said.

The study’s first author, Xiaotao Shen, an assistant professor of microbiome medicine at Nanyang Technological University, stated that the findings demonstrate that “we are not becoming old gradually.” He went on to say that certain moments in time are especially crucial to our aging and health.

For instance, the body’s capacity to metabolize caffeine significantly declines, first around 40 and then again around 60. According to Michael Snyder, chair of Stanford’s genetics department and study author, the components involved in metabolizing alcohol also decrease with age, especially around the age of 40. This is in reference to the two waves of aging.

Close-up of a man drinking whiskey by himself while sitting at a bar counter, holding a glass of alcohol on a wooden table at home. Problem with alcoholic beverages concept

Anecdotally, Snyder continued, “People often get muscle injuries and see their fat accumulation hit in their 40s (related to lipid metabolism), and definitely sarcopenia (muscle loss) hits people in their 60s—this is a very big deal.”

He said that alterations in the proteins that hold tissues together were seen in both age groups, which probably explains the changes in the skin, muscles, and cardiovascular system.

Additionally, the risk of disease increases more quickly, especially after the age of 60. According to the study, those 60 years of age and older have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, kidney problems, and cardiovascular illnesses.

As per the study, identifying patterns such as these can aid in the diagnosis and prevention of diseases. It further claimed to have discovered “clinically actionable markers” that can be employed to enhance health-care administration and the welfare of elderly people.

Participants in the study ranged in age from 25 to 75 for an average of about two years. Every participant was healthy, from a variety of ethnic origins, and resided in California. Every three to six months, samples of their blood, feces, skin, and nasal and mouth swabs were collected.

The menopause, which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, may have contributed to women’s faster aging, so the researchers ran their analysis on datasets that were specific to men and women. They were surprised to see that the results were identical, indicating that there may be a changeover point around 55 for both sexes.

Due to the small age range of the trial’s cohort, researchers from Germany and the US were unable to corroborate findings from a prior study that suggested there is another “wave” of aging that begins at 75.

Regarding what you should learn from their findings, the researchers suggest that as you approach these critical years in your life—your 40s and 60s—you should alter your lifestyle by doing things like drinking less alcohol and exercising more.

For better kidney function, Snyder advised those who were getting close to 60 to limit their diet of carbohydrates and drink lots of water.

Shen was instructed to “Take care of yourself more closely at specific time points during your life span,” 

Your midlife diet has an impact on your health beyond the age of 70. This may come as a surprise, but new evidence supports the idea. According to the study, eating a balanced diet in your 40s may greatly improve your odds of living a long and healthy life.

Less than 10% of people are able to sustain excellent mental, cognitive, and physical health past the age of 70, but you could hold the keys to becoming one of these select few.

Diet in middle age and future health

Some surprising findings were revealed by the research, which focused on a large data set of over 100,000 people studied for 30 years.

It was shown that those who started eating healthily in their 40s had a significantly higher chance of having a well-functioning body and mind when they were 70. In fact, when compared to individuals who did not follow a balanced diet, their chances of aging healthily were increased by as much as 84%.

Dr. Anne-Julie Tessier, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, stated that “people who adhered to healthy dietary patterns in midlife, especially those rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, were significantly more likely to achieve healthy aging.”

One crucial hint is provided by the research: “The quality of your aging process can be significantly impacted by your midlife diet.”

Does aging well require a special diet?

Nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, and low-fat dairy products have all been connected to increased odds of healthy aging. On the other hand, there was a correlation found between decreased chances of healthy aging and large intakes of trans fat, sodium, whole meats, and processed meats.

This study is unique in that it focuses on healthy aging, even though there have been many studies investigating the effect of nutrition on chronic diseases.

Here, being able to live freely and maintain a high standard of living as one ages is considered healthy aging, rather than just the absence of disease.

According to Tessier, “dietary guidelines and research have traditionally focused on preventing chronic diseases like heart disease.” “Our study provides evidence for dietary recommendations to consider not only disease prevention but also promoting overall healthy aging as a long-term goal.”

Rethinking the Dietary Recommendations

The study examined information from more than 106,000 participants who were free of chronic illnesses and at least 39 years old as of 1986. Not surprisingly, by the age of 70, only 9.2% of respondents had maintained their level of physical, cognitive, and mental fitness.

Notable trends were observed, based on eight healthy dietary patterns from earlier scientific investigations.

The strongest link was seen with the alternative healthy eating index, which closely followed the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Individuals who adhered to this food regimen had an 84% higher chance of aging healthily than those who did not.

Researchers also discovered that a diet known as the “planetary health diet,” which is modeled after the one recommended by the EAT Lancet Commission, significantly influenced the process of good aging.

The link between a healthy aging process and a planetary health diet was one of Tessier’s most notable discoveries. The EAT Lancet Commission’s report, which places an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant proteins, and healthy fats from sustainable sources, served as the foundation for this diet.

“The fact that it emerged as one of the leading dietary patterns associated with healthy aging is particularly interesting because it supports that we can eat a diet that may benefit both our health and the planet.”

Even after accounting for variables like physical exercise, which is known to have an impact on health, these results persisted. All the physical, cognitive, and mental aspects of good aging were associated with each food pattern.

Supplements’ place in diets for middle-aged people

In a midlife diet that focuses on healthy aging, supplements might be helpful even if whole foods should be the main focus.

Research has demonstrated the benefits of specific vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D, for both physical and mental well-being.

Future research may assist to explain the possible implications of making a healthy diet change later in life, as the study focused on midlife dietary patterns. The study’s findings do, however, make one thing abundantly evident: the seeds of good aging are planted in middle age.

According to a new study that was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, lifestyle factors that can be changed can reduce an individual’s hereditary risk of obesity.

A non-infectious pandemic of obesity is being caused by sedentary lifestyles and increased consumption of foods high in calories. Obesity is polygenic and heritable. Weight growth is a result of multiple metabolic pathways, and obesity is linked to over a thousand genetic variations. It has long been accepted that there is no way to change an individual’s genetic propensity to fat.

Studies on the interactions between genes and environment, however, have revealed that some lifestyle choices may lessen the impact of particular genes linked to obesity. However, these investigations were restricted to a small number of obesogenic genes and lifestyle variables. Furthermore, it is unclear how genetic propensity to obesity interacts with modifiable lifestyle factors to lessen its burden.

Researchers looked at whether lifestyle factors that can be changed could reduce an individual’s genetic risk of obesity in the current study. After removing over 1,000 patients without data on body mass index (BMI) or obesity-related morbidities (ORMs) and identifying over 338,600 white British people from the United Kingdom Biobank who passed the genetic quality control, 337,554 people were left for inclusion.

Based on a genome-wide association analysis for BMI in individuals with European ancestry, a polygenic score (PGS) was calculated. Five obesogenic lifestyle factors—alcohol intake, sleep length, sedentary habits, nutrition, and physical activity—were combined to create a healthy lifestyle score. After examining the Biobank health data, incident obesity was found to be the main effect. The secondary outcome was prevalent obesity, which was defined as having a baseline BMI of 30 kg/m2.

By calculating the odds (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) of prevalent and incident obesity by PGS percentile and lifestyle, absolute hazards were estimated. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate HRs, while logistic regression models were used to evaluate ORs. Additionally, the likelihood of obesity by the age of 75 was estimated. Using hospital data, self-reports, or death registry records, incident ORM was determined.

Using additive and multiplicative interaction analysis, the relationship between lifestyle and genetic susceptibility to obesity was assessed. The correlations between genetic risk and lifestyle factors and incidence obesity and ORMs were investigated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between genetic risk categories, lifestyle categories, or both, and the prevalence of obesity.

People who were obese had lower levels of healthy lifestyle characteristics and a higher PGS. Obesity was found to be both independently and together related with an unhealthy lifestyle and a high genetic risk. The researchers looked at the independent effects of lifestyle on obesity and genetic risk on obesity after controlling for lifestyle categories.

Regardless of lifestyle categories, a high genetic risk was linked to a higher incidence of incident and widespread obesity. In a similar vein, poor lifestyle choices were linked, independently of genetic risk, to a higher chance of incident and widespread obesity. When comparing people with a healthy lifestyle and low genetic risk to those with a poor lifestyle and high genetic risk, the HR of obesity was 3.54.

The healthy lifestyle group had a 1.7% chance of obesity by age 75, while the bad lifestyle group had a 2.8% chance based on incident obesity. According to the prevalence of obesity, the comparable estimations were 30.7% and 13.9%, respectively. Different additive interactions were found when analyzing the relative excess risk caused by the interaction between genetic risk and lifestyle; multiplicative interaction analysis also yielded reliable results.

Regardless of genetic risk, the lowest risks of obesity were linked to avoiding sedentary behavior. The dangers of ORMs were similar for people with high PGS and healthy lifestyles compared to those with low PGS. On the other hand, ORM risks were higher among those with a bad lifestyle and a high PGS. After controlling for BMI, there was no longer any correlation between PGS and ORM risks.