When does ageing really kick in? Scientists find two specific ages when signs show up. They are...

When does ageing start? Is it a gradual process or is there a specific age in which we start to 'suddenly' age? According to a new study, there are two, not one, time periods in our lives when we show sudden signs of ageing.

There is a burst of ageing at 44, and then at 60, accoriding to research done at Stanford University in the US.

This busts the general notion that our bodies and minds decline in a slow process, referred to as 'linear ageing'.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Watch: China's anti-ageing component isolated from blood

Earlier, the ageing in 40s was seen as part of onset of menopause in women, but the study has shown that men also show signs of decline in mid-40s onwards.

How did they reach the conclusion?

The study published in Nature Ageing journal tracked thousands of different molecules in people aged between 25 and 75.

It found two waves of age-related changes in the molecular composition of bodies: at around ages 44 and again at 60.

The findings could explain "why spikes in certain health issues including musculoskeletal problems and cardiovascular disease occur at certain ages," the researchers said.

The researchers call these sudden spurts 'nonlinear' ageing. "The analysis revealed consistent nonlinear patterns in molecular markers of ageing, with substantial dysregulation occurring at two major periods occurring at approximately 44 years and 60 years of chronological age," said the study.

They found cardiovascular disease, lipid and alcohol metabolism changes at the 40-year transition, and shifts in "immune regulation and carbohydrate metabolism" during the 60-year transition.

Risk of diseases accelerate at specific points in human lifespan.

The study pointed out that in the US, atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attacks are are up 40% between the ages of 40 and 59. It rises to about 75% between ages 60 and 79 and reaches 86% at 80 years and above.

Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have distinct "turning points" around the ages of 40 and 65, respectively.

What is ageing?

Ageing is the decline in physical and cognitive abilities, as well as changes inappearance such as wrinkling skin. This is also the period in which people suffer from aches and pains, and diseases and wounds take longer to heal.

According to World Health Organization, ageing is on the rise globally.

"In 2019, the number of people aged 60 years and older was 1 billion. This number will increase to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050," it says on its Ageing website.

(With inputs from agencies)