New research suggests that instead of creeping up year by year, the effects of aging hit us hard at specific points of life.
The big picture: The ages to watch are 44 and 60, The Wall Street Journal reports from a recent study published in Nature Aging.
👀 Zoom in: The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University, included participants between the ages of 25 and 75, who were tracked over two years. Researchers studied changes in more than 100,000 microbes and molecules — from proteins to cholesterol — that dictate how our bodies function.
In the mid-40s, people experienced a spike in changes to the way they metabolize alcohol and fats, which could explain worse hangovers or weight gain at that age.
At 60, big changes came in the way we metabolize carbs as well as kidney and immune function. That might explain the increased vulnerability to the flu and COVID after this age.
At both points, people see a spike in skin and muscle aging and a decrease in the ability to metabolize caffeine.
The bottom line: Aging is a natural part of life, but researchers suggest leaning into healthy lifestyle changes as we age — and particularly around these times of more rapid change — to ease the blow, The Journal reports.
