I read an article today that I haven’t stopped thinking about.
Apparently, scientists have found that humans do not age at a constant rate on a molecular level (RNA, proteins, and and microbiomes). Rather, there are two ages when aging accelerates quite a bit: 44 and 60.
As a 43-year-old, you might imagine that this news shook me! I’m just months away from an increased risk of disease and muscle injuries, a decreased ability to metabolize caffeine and alcohol, and, as the article puts it, “fat accumulation.”
My body is literally going to have a mid-life crisis!
The article recommends eating healthier, drinking more water, and exercising more as we approach and go through these key ages. I guess the silver lining is that molecular-level aging stops accelerating for a while after age 44 and 60.
I was a little surprised that there was no mention of what seems to be rapid aging in our youth: Don’t babies grow really fast, and then our bodies go into overdrive during puberty? Perhaps the study only had adult participants.
What do you think about this news? If you’ve already experienced either of those ages, did you feel like you were aging faster than normal?
I saw the same article—apparently the internet is very good at profiling us. As a fellow 43-year-old, the news made me scared and a bit sad, then also defiant. I know we all age, but pinpointing it to a defined year made me wonder what exactly will change at 44, and how it’ll affect my life. I had many more thoughts that I’ll have to share with you, as this article has lodged itself in my brain for the past week!
I like the defiant response! I’m hoping to take the same approach to year 44, and I look foreward to hearing your other thoughts.
Let me give you the perspective from the other side, I turned 47 two days ago. I think it’s true, I definitely saw decline in my overall “condition” in the past 3-4 years. Gained a bit of weight… though I would categorize it as my standard weight is about 5-6 pounds higher than it used to be although I still haven’t reached 175. My vision probably had the biggest decline. I never needed glasses. Now I need glasses to read small letters (there’s a message to board game publishers somewhere in there). I needed a shoulder surgery two years ago. So yeah definitely falling apart here. But overall still in good health, now I need this to pause until I’m 60.
You have me worried now about vision! I’ve had 20/20 vision or better my entire life, so I’ll have to be particularly aware of theat over the next few years.
Yes, it’s absolutely true. I’ve had declines in vision, muscle tone, my rate of healing, the quality of my hair and skin and teeth. I’ve had increases in fat, facial hair, falling and damage from said falls. Working out seems less effective.