Ageing speeds up at 44 and 60... but it can be slowed

Researchers have found that ageing comes in two significant spikes. Maria Lally investigates the ways it can be managed.

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There are many signs you’re well and truly into midlife. The “ooft” you make as you get out of a chair, the occasional grey hair that suddenly becomes a smattering, the tiredness in your face that no amount of face cream or early nights can fix.

So, if you’re in your mid-forties like me, and are puzzled by how you’re feeling older than ever, scientists have just discovered why. This month, researchers found that ageing isn’t a slow and steady process, but rather it happens in two accelerated bursts: once around the age of 44, and again at 60.

A study from Stanford University in the US looked at people aged between 25 and 75, and found two spikes in ageing that could be responsible for age-related health issues, such as Alzheimer’s disease or musculoskeletal problems, happening at certain times.

“We’re not just changing gradually over time,” says Prof Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at the university and the study author. “There are some really dramatic changes. It turns out the mid-forties is a time of dramatic change, as is the early sixties.”

According to the researchers, the changes that begin in our mid-forties include our ability to metabolise caffeine, alcohol and carbohydrates, immune regulation, skin and muscle ageing, and an increased risk of heart disease and cognitive decline.

“Around the mid-forties, women hit perimenopause, characterised by a drop in oestrogen that can lead to weight gain, especially around the middle,” says Sam Rice, a nutritionist and author of The Midlife Method: How to Lose Weight and Feel Great After 40.

“No foods can replace those lost hormones, but certain foods can help support hormone balance, such as cruciferous vegetables like sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale, which contain something called indole-3-carbinol, a plant chemical known to increase oestrogen metabolism.”