www.theguardian.com Open in urlscan Pro
2a04:4e42:200::367  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

https://www.google.co.uk/search

<form action="https://www.google.co.uk/search" class="dcr-g8v7m4"><label for="gu-search-mobile" class="dcr-0">
    <div class="dcr-6v110l">Search input </div>
  </label><input type="text" id="gu-search-mobile" aria-required="true" aria-invalid="false" aria-describedby="" required="" name="q" placeholder="Search" data-link-name="nav2 : search" tabindex="-1" class="selectableMenuItem dcr-1inekgs"><label
    for="gu-search-mobile" class="dcr-0">
    <div class="dcr-6v110l">google-search </div>
    <div class="dcr-190ztmi"><svg width="30" viewBox="-3 -3 30 30" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true">
        <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd"
          d="M9.273 2c4.023 0 7.25 3.295 7.25 7.273a7.226 7.226 0 0 1-7.25 7.25C5.25 16.523 2 13.296 2 9.273 2 5.295 5.25 2 9.273 2Zm0 1.84A5.403 5.403 0 0 0 3.84 9.274c0 3 2.409 5.454 5.432 5.454 3 0 5.454-2.454 5.454-5.454 0-3.023-2.454-5.432-5.454-5.432Zm7.295 10.887L22 20.16 20.16 22l-5.433-5.432v-.932l.91-.909h.931Z">
        </path>
      </svg><span class="dcr-1p0hins">Search</span></div>
  </label><button type="submit" aria-live="polite" aria-label="Search with Google" data-link-name="nav2 : search : submit" tabindex="-1" class="dcr-7lzcei">
    <div class="src-button-space"></div><svg width="30" viewBox="-3 -3 30 30" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true">
      <path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" d="M1 12.956h18.274l-7.167 8.575.932.932L23 12.478v-.956l-9.96-9.985-.932.932 7.166 8.575H1v1.912Z"></path>
    </svg>
  </button><input type="hidden" name="as_sitesearch" value="www.theguardian.com"></form>

Text Content

Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
Close dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption
Skip to navigation
Print subscriptions
Sign in
Search jobs
Search
Europe edition
 * Europe edition
 * UK edition
 * US edition
 * Australia edition
 * International edition

The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian


SUPPORT THE GUARDIAN

Fund independent journalism with €12 per month
Support us

Support us
 * News
 * Opinion
 * Sport
 * Culture
 * Lifestyle

ShowMoreShow More
 * News
   * View all News
   * World news
   * UK news
   * Climate crisis
   * Ukraine
   * Environment
   * Science
   * Global development
   * Football
   * Tech
   * Business
   * Obituaries
   
 * Opinion
   * View all Opinion
   * The Guardian view
   * Columnists
   * Cartoons
   * Opinion videos
   * Letters
   
 * Sport
   * View all Sport
   * Olympics 2024
   * Football
   * Cricket
   * Rugby union
   * Tennis
   * Cycling
   * F1
   * Golf
   * US sports
   
 * Culture
   * View all Culture
   * Books
   * Music
   * TV & radio
   * Art & design
   * Film
   * Games
   * Classical
   * Stage
   
 * Lifestyle
   * View all Lifestyle
   * Fashion
   * Food
   * Recipes
   * Love & sex
   * Health & fitness
   * Home & garden
   * Women
   * Men
   * Family
   * Travel
   * Money
 * Search input
   google-search
   Search
   
   
    * Support us
    * Print subscriptions

   Europe edition
   * UK edition
   * US edition
   * Australia edition
   * International edition
   
 * * Search jobs
   * Holidays
   * Digital Archive
   * Guardian Licensing
   * About Us
   * The Guardian app
   * Video
   * Podcasts
   * Pictures
   * Newsletters
   * Today's paper
   * Inside the Guardian
   * The Observer
   * Guardian Weekly
   * Crosswords
   * Wordiply
   * Corrections
 * * Search jobs
   * Holidays
   * Digital Archive
   * Guardian Licensing
   * About Us

 * World
 * UK
 * Climate crisis
 * Ukraine
 * Environment
 * Science
 * Global development
 * Football
 * Tech
 * Business
 * Obituaries



The unexpected mid-40s ageing spike was first assumed to be a result of
perimenopause, but similar shifts were seen in men of that age too. Photograph:
blickwinkel/Alamy
View image in fullscreen
The unexpected mid-40s ageing spike was first assumed to be a result of
perimenopause, but similar shifts were seen in men of that age too. Photograph:
blickwinkel/Alamy
Medical research



SCIENTISTS FIND HUMANS AGE DRAMATICALLY IN TWO BURSTS – AT 44, THEN 60

US findings suggesting ageing is not a slow and steady process could explain
spikes in health issues at certain ages


Hannah Devlin Science corresponent
Wed 14 Aug 2024 16.50 CESTLast modified on Thu 15 Aug 2024 03.31 CEST
Share



If you have noticed a sudden accumulation of wrinkles, aches and pains or a
general sensation of having grown older almost overnight, there may be a
scientific explanation. Research suggests that rather than being a slow and
steady process, aging occurs in at least two accelerated bursts.

The study, which tracked thousands of different molecules in people aged 25 to
75, detected two major waves of age-related changes at around ages 44 and again
at 60. The findings could explain why spikes in certain health issues including
musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occur at certain ages.



“We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some really dramatic
changes,” said Prof Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for
Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of
the study.

“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 research tracked 108 volunteers, who submitted blood and stool samples and
skin, oral and nasal swabs every few months for between one and nearly seven
years. Researchers assessed 135,000 different molecules (RNA, proteins and
metabolites) and microbes (the bacteria, viruses and fungi living in the guts
and on the skin of the participants).

The abundance of most molecules and microbes did not shift in a gradual,
chronological fashion. When the scientists looked for clusters of molecules with
the largest shifts, they found these transformations tended to occur when people
were in their mid-40s and early 60s.

The mid-40s ageing spike was unexpected and initially assumed to be a result of
perimenopausal changes in women skewing results for the whole group. But the
data revealed similar shifts were happening in men in their mid-40s, too.

“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,” said Dr
Xiaotao Shen, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford medical school and first
author of the study who is now based at Nanyang Technological University
Singapore.

Harms linked to drinking may be greater for people in worse health, study finds
Read more

The first wave of changes included molecules linked to cardiovascular disease
and the ability to metabolise caffeine, alcohol and lipids. The second wave of
changes included molecules involved in immune regulation, carbohydrate
metabolism and kidney function. Molecules linked to skin and muscle ageing
changed at both time points. Previous research suggested that a later spike in
ageing may occur around the age of 78, but the latest study could not confirm
this because the oldest participants were 75.

The pattern fits with previous evidence that the risk of many age-related
diseases does not increase incrementally, with Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular
disease risk showing a steep uptick after 60. It is also possible that some of
the changes could be linked to lifestyle or behavioural factors. For instance,
the change in alcohol metabolism could result from an uptick in consumption in
people’s mid-40s, which can be a stressful period of life.

The findings could help target interventions, such as increasing exercise during
periods of more rapid muscle loss, the authors said. “I’m a big believer that we
should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy,” Snyder said.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Aging.

Explore more on these topics
 * Medical research
 * Health
 * Older people
 * news

Share

Reuse this content


MOST VIEWED

 * A CANVAS WAS DAMAGED AS I HELPED A FRIEND MOVE. SHE’S ASKED ME FOR $1,200.
   SHOULD I END THE FRIENDSHIP?
   
   

 * FIVE ARRESTS MADE IN DEATH OF ACTOR MATTHEW PERRY, CALIFORNIA POLICE SAY
   
   

 * RAYGUN: PILLORIED OLYMPICS BREAKDANCER SAYS ONLINE HATE HAS BEEN
   ‘DEVASTATING’
   
   

 * DONALD TRUMP’S WEIRD CLOTHES: FROM SHOULDER PADS TO EXTREMELY LONG TIES, WHAT
   DO THEY MEAN?
   
   

 * UKRAINIAN TEAM BLEW UP NORD STREAM PIPELINE, CLAIMS REPORT
   
   




MORE ON THIS STORY






MORE ON THIS STORY




 * CALL FOR ACTION ON UK MEN’S HEALTH AS 133,000 DIE EARLY EVERY YEAR
   
   16 Jul 2024
   


 * ENDOMETRIOSIS NEEDS TO BE TREATED BY NHS AS CHRONIC CONDITION, EXPERTS SAY
   
   11 Jul 2024
   


 * BEARDS ARE ALPHA, ‘RAT BOYS’ ARE IN – AND THE RULES OF MASCULINITY ARE AS
   BAFFLING AS EVER
   
   15 Jul 2024
   …
   …
   comments
   


 * FROM CONTAMINATED BLOOD TO BIRTH TRAUMA, HOW FEMALE NHS PATIENTS’ CONCERNS
   ARE IGNORED
   
   10 Jul 2024
   


 * GARETH SOUTHGATE HAS PROVED THAT QUIET COMPETENCE CAN LIFT A NATION – IT’S A
   LESSON THAT GOES FAR BEYOND SPORT
   
   12 Jul 2024
   


 * WOMEN BENEFIT MORE THAN MEN FROM SAME AMOUNT OF REGULAR EXERCISE – STUDY
   
   19 Feb 2024
   


 * ‘THIS IS PERSONAL’: VICTORIA ATKINS SETS OUT WOMEN’S HEALTH PRIORITIES
   
   17 Jan 2024
   
 * SCIENCE WEEKLY
   ‘SPERMAGEDDON’: IS MALE FERTILITY REALLY IN CRISIS? – PODCAST
   
   4 Jul 2024
   


 * MEN ARE LESS ABLE TO IDENTIFY EATING DISORDERS – I CALLED MINE ‘CUTTING
   WEIGHT’
   
   14 Jun 2024
   …
   …
   comments
   


 * ‘REAL TABOO’: INCLUDE BIRTH TRAUMA IN UK WOMEN’S HEALTH STRATEGY, MP URGES
   
   9 Jan 2024
   




MOST VIEWED


MOST VIEWED



 * World
 * UK
 * Climate crisis
 * Ukraine
 * Environment
 * Science
 * Global development
 * Football
 * Tech
 * Business
 * Obituaries

 * News
 * Opinion
 * Sport
 * Culture
 * Lifestyle

Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning
Sign up for our email

 * Help
 * Complaints & corrections
 * SecureDrop
 * Work for us
 *  
 * Privacy policy
 * Cookie policy
 * Terms & conditions
 * Contact us

 * All topics
 * All writers
 * Digital newspaper archive
 * Facebook
 * YouTube
 * Instagram
 * LinkedIn
 * X
 * Newsletters

 * Advertise with us
 * Search UK jobs


Back to top
© 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights
reserved. (dcr)