Study: Aging Accelerates in Middle Age

A new study published in the journal Cell finds that aging accelerates around the age of 50. The Chinese study examined changes in thousands of proteins and found that the rate of change varies by organ and tissue, with blood vessels appearing to age faster.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified proteins that accelerate aging, a finding that could be used in anti-aging therapies. The team examined tissue samples from 76 individuals of Chinese descent, aged 14 to 68 years.

The analysis identified 48 proteins whose levels change with age, most sharply at the age of 44 to 55 years. Changes begin at the age of 30 in the case of the adrenal glands. More dramatic changes were recorded in the aorta, the largest artery in the body.

A protein produced at increased levels in the aorta of middle-aged people causes accelerated aging when administered to rats. The findings add to last year's study by Sνάιντερ in Nature Aging, which recorded an acceleration of aging around the ages of 40 and 60 years.