{"id":561999,"date":"2026-05-02T07:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T07:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/561999\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T07:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T07:01:09","slug":"doctor-warns-3-habits-secretly-accelerate-ageing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/561999\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor warns 3 habits secretly &#8216;accelerate ageing&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The widespread assumption that ageing becomes a concern only in one&#8217;s fifties represents a fundamental misunderstanding of human biology, according to molecular biologist Dr Marion Gruffaz.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Gruffaz, who holds a doctorate from University Lyon I\/Paris V and completed postdoctoral research in cancer biology at the University of Southern California, argues cellular deterioration starts far earlier than most people realise.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At the molecular level, the processes that drive accelerated ageing, including NAD+ decline, the buildup of senescent cells, and the gradual breakdown of protein quality control, all begin in the late 30s,&#8221; she told GB News.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Waiting for symptoms is the single biggest error.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"288b7\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"c6adfa4417026475e65fe6f0a0c24842\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201200%20800'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/senior-woman-holding-baby.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" alt=\"SENIOR WOMAN HOLDING BABY\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Sleep is a cellular ageing issue&#8217;<\/p>\n<p> | <\/p>\n<p>GETTY<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the timing misconception, Dr Gruffaz identified persistent mild sleep deprivation as an everyday habit that most individuals drastically undervalue.<\/p>\n<p>She is not referring to clinical insomnia but rather the practice of shortening one&#8217;s rest by an hour or so each night.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;During deep sleep, the brain&#8217;s glymphatic system clears the metabolic waste that accumulates in neurons throughout the day,&#8221; she noted.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Disrupting that process repeatedly accelerates neuroinflammation and has measurable effects on biological age markers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The molecular biologist contends that society has fundamentally mischaracterised insufficient sleep. <\/p>\n<p>When asked to rank interventions by their biological significance, Dr Gruffaz places sleep protection at the apex, followed by preserving muscle through weight-bearing exercise.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Most people frame sleep loss as a productivity issue. It is actually a cellular ageing issue,&#8221; she said. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maintain muscle mass through resistance training starting no later than your early 40s.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The third priority concerns a molecule called NAD+, which she describes as essential for both energy production and genetic repair within cells.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;NAD+ is the central currency of cellular energy and DNA repair,&#8221; Dr Gruffaz noted. <\/p>\n<p>Addressing its decline proactively, she argues, represents one of the most effective strategies available to those seeking to slow their biological clock.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"7d859\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"743367848a42d1efd441e4c75ff27721\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201200%20800'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/senior-woman.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" alt=\"SENIOR WOMAN\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Scientists stress the urgency of early action to combat ageing<\/p>\n<p> | <\/p>\n<p>GETTY<\/p>\n<p>The molecular biologist is emphatic that her recommendations should not be dismissed as mere lifestyle adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These are not lifestyle tweaks. They are direct interventions on the mechanisms that determine how fast your cells age,&#8221; she states.<\/p>\n<p>The urgency of early action becomes apparent when one considers the scale of NAD+ depletion over time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It drops by roughly 50 per cent between your 30s and your 50s,&#8221; Dr Gruffaz observes.<\/p>\n<p>For those who have spent decades believing that ageing is a distant concern, her message is clear: the biological processes that determine how we age are already well underway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The widespread assumption that ageing becomes a concern only in one&#8217;s fifties represents a fundamental misunderstanding of human&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":562000,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,6958,50,2331,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-561999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-longevity","tag-news","tag-sgg","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/562000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}