Scientists have named two peak periods when people age sharply: for the first time - at 44

Scientists have found that people have two sharp jumps in the aging process. The first one is at 44 years old and the second one is at 60 years old.

The results of research by U.S. scientists, which show that aging is not a slow and constant process, may explain the outbreaks of health problems at a certain age. This was reported by The Guardian.

If you've noticed a sudden buildup of wrinkles, pain, or a general feeling of having aged almost overnight, there may be a scientific explanation, according to scientists. The study, which tracked thousands of different molecules in people aged 25 to 75, found two major waves of age-related changes at around age 44 and age 60. The findings may explain why spikes in certain health problems, including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease, occur at certain ages.

"We are not just gradually changing over time. There are some really dramatic changes. It turns out that the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s - and that's true no matter what class of molecules you look at," said Michael Snyder, professor, geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study.

The study involved 108 volunteers who donated blood and fecal samples, as well as skin, oral and nasal swabs every few months for one to almost seven years. The researchers evaluated 135,000 different molecules and microbes.

Most of the molecules and microbes did not change gradually, chronologically. When the scientists looked for clusters of molecules with the largest shifts, they found that these transformations usually occurred when people were 40-60 years old.

The rise in aging in the mid-40s was unexpected and was initially thought to be the result of perimenopausal changes in women that skewed the results for the entire group. But the data showed that similar changes occurred in men at the age of 40.

"This suggests that although menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes seen in women at age 40, there are likely other, more significant factors influencing these changes in both men and women," said Xiaotao She, a former Stanford Medical School postdoctoral fellow and first author of the study who now works at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The first wave of changes included molecules associated with cardiovascular disease and the ability to metabolize caffeine, alcohol, and lipids. The second wave of changes included molecules involved in immune regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, and kidney function. Molecules associated with skin and muscle aging changed at both time points. Previous studies have suggested that a later burst of aging might occur around age 78. But the latest study could not confirm this because the oldest participants were 75 years old.

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