Scientists Show Human Aging Rates Vary Widely

HughPickens.com writes: Ever notice at your high school reunions how some classmates look ten years older than everybody else — and some look ten years younger. Now BBC reports that a study of people born within a year of each other has uncovered a huge gulf in the speed at which human bodies bodies age. The report tracked traits such as weight, kidney function and gum health and found that some of the 38-year-olds in the study were aging so badly that their "biological age" was on the cusp of retirement. "They look rough, they look lacking in vitality," says Prof Terrie Moffitt. The study says some people had almost stopped aging during the period of the study, while others were gaining nearly three years of biological age for every twelve months that passed. "Any area of life where we currently use chronological age is faulty, if we knew more about biological age we could be more fair and egalitarian," says Moffitt. The researchers studied aging in 954 young humans, the Dunedin Study birth cohort, tracking multiple biomarkers across three time points spanning their third and fourth decades of life. They developed and validated two methods by which aging can be measured in young adults, one cross-sectional and one longitudinal. According to Moffit the science of healthspan extension may be focused on the wrong end of the lifespan; rather than only studying old humans, geroscience should also study the young. "Eventually if we really want to slow the process of ageing to prevent the onset of disease we're going to have to intervene with young people."

Comments

Re:take care of yourself and you will look good

[IgnitusBoyone]

I was with you until the Milk part. My ancestors worked hard at animal husbndry and shoving milk down thier guys to ensure I was lactose tolarante. Ok to be fair they didn't care about me they just wanted to surivive, but its a niec side effect at any rate, ...

Sometimes being fair requires ignoring differences

[ciaran2014]

From the summary: "Any area of life where we currently use chronological age is faulty, if we knew more about biological age we could be more fair and egalitarian,"

That depends. Should people with a higher biological age retire earlier? Kinda unfair to people who looked after themselves.

Of course I can also see ways to make good use of this: It would be interesting to see if certain jobs are linked to people ageing faster. Maybe (maybe) people in those jobs should be give the option of retiring earlier, with pensions adjusted somehow.

Re:Methamphetamines age you prematurely.

[cayenne8]

Most of my friends that married and had kids, look MUCH older than I do. Hair fell out early, and turned gray long ago. Faces are more wrinkled too.

I guess raising kids takes a toll on your health as well as your bank account.

Re:Colour me suprised

[AthanasiusKircher]

Not always. Jeanne Calment was once asked what the secret of her long life was and she said that she thought that cutting down her smoking at the age of 96 had a lot to do with it.

Uh, I know you were trying to be funny -- but the very article you linked explains that she stopped smoking at age 117. Wikipedia doesn't say why, but I recall reading an article years ago which said it was because she had gone blind and was unable to light her own cigarettes -- and was too vain to ask others to do it for her.

Re:Methamphetamines age you prematurely.

[TWX]

I've heard a theory that once one's biological imperative is met, one's body may indeed start to change. This could be just an old wives' tale, but on the other hand if the 'family unit' tends to make for physiological changes in both parents (as opposed to the male leaving after conception) then maybe there's a bit of truth to it.

We really don't have enough information at this point though.

Re:Methamphetamines age you prematurely.

[war4peace]

*raises hand* I'd like to join your congregation.
Father of two, sole income-maker in my family, average sleep time is 6 hours a day. I work more than it's healthy, and that's because I have no choice. Still, many people think I'm younger than I actually am. I guess at some point I'll start aging really fast, like it's often seen in Asian people. This year they look like they're 25, next year they look like they're 50 and their actual age is 35-36.