A study by specialists at Stanford University School of Medicine shows four main paths along which aging occurs. Researchers say this will help people determine their type and focus on individual risk factors to prolong youth and health.
The experiment involved 43 people – men and women aged 34 to 68 years without significant health problems, writes MedicalXpress. For two years, scientists have studied the dynamics of their molecular genetic markers. As it turned out, there are four main types of aging – metabolic, immune, hepatic and nephrotic (associated with the kidneys).
For example, representatives of the metabolic type are at a higher risk of developing diabetes. The immune type showed a higher number of markers of inflammation and was prone to the emergence of diseases associated with immunity with age. Moreover, the types of aging are not mutually exclusive: a person can have signs of two types at once.
The authors of the study say that belonging to one type does not mean that other biological pathways of aging in humans are not expressed. This suggests that one of the pathways is characterized by the largest number of age-related biomarkers.
The participants in the experiment managed to slow down the aging rate by changing their lifestyle according to their type. Representatives of the metabolic type lost weight or made changes to the diet. Some participants with the nephrotic type managed to slow down due to the use of statins. However, scientists say that processes and their causes are still not fully understood. Several study participants showed a slower rate of aging than others. But why it happened remains a mystery. The full text of the study is published in the journal. Nature medicine.
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