Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on the science revealing when humans have age bursts

Feeling like you've aged 10 years in just a few months? New research published in Nature Aging might offer some insight. The study involved 108 volunteers aged between 25 and 75, who provided blood, stool, skin, oral, and nasal samples every few months over a period of up to seven years. Researchers measured levels of 135,000 different molecules, including RNA, proteins, and metabolites, as well as bacteria, fungi, and viruses present on the skin and in the gut.

Rather than observing a gradual aging process, the researchers identified two distinct spikes where aging accelerates - one around age 44 and another at age 60.

The first spike, at age 44, was linked to changes in molecules associated with cardiovascular disease, as well as a reduced ability to metabolise caffeine, alcohol, and fats. Interestingly, these shifts occurred in both men and women, debunking the notion that they were solely related to perimenopause in women.

The second spike, at age 60, was connected to changes in molecules linked to immune function, kidney function, and carbohydrate metabolism. Both age-related spikes also showed significant changes in molecules related to skin and muscle aging.

These findings align with the noticeable increase in certain diseases at specific ages, such as cardiovascular disease starting around age 40, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases becoming more common after age 60.

While the study didn’t offer strategies to slow down these rapid aging changes, the researchers did suggest that these ages might be key milestones to monitor our health closely. Booking a full medical check-up around these times could be a smart move for preventive care.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Doctor Michelle Dickinson, Nano Girl, joins us now with her
science study of the week, and I just love the study.
I have always said that when it comes to aging,
we seem to stay the same for ages, Michelle, and
then all of a sudden you wake up and you go,
what happened? And then you kind of play our again
and you sort of look and feel the same for ages,
and all of a sudden, it's just like what the heck?

(00:34):
And it was? It was? It was a very purely
based on my observation, but science is just discovered. There
is also there's some truth in this. There was a
reason for this.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, we're going to see if it's the observation of others.
So please texted if this has also happened to you.
Beautiful study. It's in the journal Nature Aging. Honestly, it's
the most beautiful study I've ever seen. The graphics and
the way they represent the data is amazing. It's open source.
Don't read it. It's bigger meating, but go look at
the pictures because it's lovely and basically what they have

(01:05):
discovered is that our molecular changes during aging are non linear.
What does that mean? That means that we don't age
gracefully in a linear fashion just every day we're a
little bit older. No, we have quote substantial dysregulation at
the ages of forty four and sixty. Basically, what they

(01:27):
did is they took one hundred and eight volunteers age
between twenty five and seventy five, and they measured all
sorts of things from them. So they took blood samples,
saw sample, skin samples, and then they did mouth and
nose swabs, and then that every few months four up
to seven years, monitoring things like gut microbiome, what bacteria
and viruses around your skin. And they actually found one
hundred and thirty five thousand different molecules and they measured

(01:49):
all of them. And these included things like RNAs, proteins,
metabolites as well as the bacteria, fungus and viruses that
are both on our skin. And it's an incredible study, right,
It's like literally grows on you and as your molecule
what makes you up, and they try to see if
there are any big changes over time. And they were
like holy moly, there are some really big changes. And

(02:12):
they found these two amazing spikes. So one at age
forty four, where they found things like the way that
your lipid, your caffeine, and your alcohol are metabolized. So
if you've suddenly started in your forties not being able
to tolerate caffeine much.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Maybe it's switching caffin. This is the thing. I had
this moment. It literally was forty four when I felt
I looked at myself and I thought either age and
then things just sort of stopped working.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
I don't know, can't take the fatty foods anymore. Alcohol's
given you that hangover that's lasting a little bit longer
than you are well forty four. That's because your metabolism
has changed for these things. And also the big important
one is the molecules associated with cardiovascular disease also changed
significantly at forty four. So and we see it correlated

(02:59):
to a rise in cardiovascular diseases. Yeah, and then so
you're like, okay, I've made it through forty four, got
to fifty, I'm all good.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
The next one, next one hurts.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
The next one's going to hit you. At sixty And
at sixty they saw a massive change in your immune function,
your kidney function, and your carbohydrate metabolism. So if it's sixty,
you're like, I just can't take that bread and that
pursta anymore. It's really starting to make me feel sluggish. Well,
welcome to the sixty spike. Sorry, it's not good news,
and there's nothing you can do to fix it. Sadly,

(03:30):
the story doesn't have a happy ending, but what it
does do is go, well, look, if you're feeling like
suddenly you've just been hit by a truck and you've
probably just turned forty four or sixty, it's to do
with your molecular changes. They just suddenly just go way
out of whack. Not they don't reverse, they don't go back,
And so it's also related to some of the diseases
to be seen. So in our sixties we see a
huge increase in diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to

(03:52):
do with these molecular changes. So the story is basically,
look out for them, know they're coming. If you're forty two,
live it up because it's to go downhill, but also
book yourself in for a good medical check. Around those ages,
it's where things are going to change, make sure that
you're keeping on top of the stuff.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Don't presume that what you've heard today means that what
you're experiencing is this. You've always got to check it out.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
And a lot of these diseases, you know, you might
want to change your diet bit switch more to DCAF.
If you're struggling with your caffeine, drink a little bit.
Let just the regular healthy stuff anyway, But don't ignore
it if you're having a bit of a niggle, if
you're worried about your cardiovascular or you're worried about you know,
you're just forgetting your memory a little bit more. Early
diagnosis and early treatment always gives you better outcomes, so
it might be on the cards. If you catch it early,

(04:35):
your prognosis is going to be much better. But yeah,
if you're on nowhere between the ages of forty four
and sixty or you've been through those ages and you're like, oh, yeah,
you'd love to hear from you if.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
You just kind of going, hang on, this is all
sounding very familiar.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, so nature aging, beautiful study, massive data set, beautiful graphics.
Go have a read and if you're around those ages,
then it yeah, welcome welcome Susie Ticks.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
He set it fount like overnight someone had sucked all
the fluid out of my skin.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure we're going to get some
text in being like this was me too.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Muzz, very sweetly says, Oh, come on, Frenchie, sket don't
look a day over thirty five. I think probably my
psychological age might've been thirty five months. You might be
right on that one.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
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