One person said the study “explains a lot”, while others offered their own experiences. The research was carried out over a number of years and monitored more than 135,000 biological markers.
15:43, 27 Jan 2026Updated 15:43, 27 Jan 2026
Ageing is different for everyone (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
The ageing process varies dramatically from person to person. While some people start to experience many of the common signs of ageing, including grey hair, a loss of energy, and – of course – wrinkles, earlier in life, others look and feel youthful well into what most would consider old age.
But now one study has suggested we actually age dramatically at two specific points in our lives. The research carried out over a number of years revealed significant changes in functions such as our ability to process alcohol and caffeine, metabolism, and the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease happen in a “non-linear patterns” rather than as a gradual process.
It is hoped the findings of the study could help identify when people may be more susceptible to chronic disease, as well as help pharmaceutical companies focus treatments and therapies more directly. An article on science website dailygalaxy.com said: “Aging has traditionally been viewed as a gradual and continuous process shaped by time, genetics, and environment.
“However, advances in molecular biology are challenging this assumption, revealing that physiological ageing may proceed unevenly across the lifespan rather than at a constant pace.” The research was published in journal Nature Aging.
It added: “A team at Stanford School of Medicine tracked over 135,000 biological markers in 108 individuals over several years. The study, led by Dr Michael Snyder, chair of genetics, found that 81 per cent of molecules associated with aging changed in non-linear patterns. Rather than progressing steadily, molecular activity underwent rapid shifts at two defined ages: 44 and 60.”
Although the study did not identify a potential cause of the shifts, it adds lifestyle changes around the two periods of life may play a factor. Alcohol intake tends to increase in mid-life, as does stress, while sleep quality tends to decrease with age, and this can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular and immune systems.
People on Reddit added their own experiences. One said: “Actually relieved to see this because renewing my passport at 54 was pretty shocking. The 44-year-old still looked passably ‘young’, but the 54 photo hides no time! I have a few years to get used to this face and it’ll change again completely at 60. Yay.”
Another said: “Soon after turning 44, I could feel the facial muscles become lax over a year. The skin had weight. I felt it hanging on my face, and I saw it in the mirror.
“I believe the dramatic change happened because I had been a cigarette smoker for most of my life. I quit about that time, thank goodness. Moral to the story – don’t smoke.”
Someone else wrote: “My body and health dramatically changed around age 45. I was always naturally thin and toned, low blood pressure, never got sick (I literally didn’t go to a doctor for seven years), good sleep, good skin, etc.
“Right around age 45 I gained weight, started having aches and pains, kept getting sick, and started just generally looking ‘old’. I’m 47 now and in good health, but it all takes a lot of effort now when it used just be natural.”
Another, who said they are 65 years old, said the study “explains a lot”. “When I turned 60, it was as though someone flipped a switch in my body,” they said. “Things I could lift easily before were suddenly heavy. I don’t expect to be as strong in my 60s as I was as a young man, but I didn’t expect the sudden drop off in strength between my 50s and my 60s.
“A couple of years ago I did a day-long walk to a neighbouring town – 33 miles. I’d done the walk before in my 40s, doing it again in my 60s exhausted me, I had nothing left in the tank when I finished. Make the most of your youth!”
But another added a note of hope. “68 and unbroken here,” they said. “Except for the hair and the knees and that pesky cancer scare. Actually, I’m in less discomfort than I was from 25 to 35, when I had chronic back pain. I would not trade that for the thick lustrous hair I had then.”