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Stay healthy and young longer

17. August 2020 – 16:57 Clock

Not all people age the same

Some get old and sick faster, others are still enviable for their age – we all know that from everyday life. In fact, there appear to be at least four types of aging in humans. This is what a team of doctors from Stanford University in California (USA) found out. In a study they identified four different ways in which the human body changes and grows old in the course of life. If you know your aging type, your lifestyle can at least influence how quickly you get old.

Scientists find four types of aging

Geneticist Michael Snyder and his team of scientists from Stanford University published their study in the journal Nature Medicine in January. They examined the aging of the body using biochemical methods and came to the conclusion that there are at least four different types of aging in which the human body changes in the course of life. Each type of aging is linked to a specific organ or process in the body:

  • metabolism
  • immune system
  • liver
  • kidney

Knowing about one’s own aging type is an important finding for study leader Michael Snyder in order to take countermeasures in good time: “It can help individuals to precisely discover risk factors for their health and to identify the areas in which they will most likely have problems later,” says Snyder, “The most important thing is that our study shows one thing: It is possible to positively influence the course of aging.”

In people and cars, some parts wear out faster

The researchers found the different aging variants after initially regularly examining 106 women and men between the ages of 29 and 75 who had no previous illnesses at the start of the study. Later, Professor Snyder and his team focused on 43 of the subjects. The scientists regularly analyzed samples of blood and stool, and even examined bacteria that settled in the noses of the study participants. In the end, they had countless data on genes, proteins from the blood, metabolic products and microorganisms from each test person, and observed how this data changed over time.

Professor Snyder and his colleagues initially recognized four aging variants among the test subjects. Some showed changes in metabolism, others in the immune system, the function of the liver or kidneys. A metabolically aging person developed a certain hemoglobin in the blood, which can indicate developing diabetes. In test subjects of the immune aging type, however, there were more signs of inflammation in the body.

Michael Snyder likes to compare it to cars. “As your car gets older, some components are likely to wear out faster than others, such as the gearbox or the brakes. And you have to know these parts in order to ideally repair them.” However, not every person can automatically be assigned to an aging type, and there are also mixed forms.

Some test subjects lived healthier and became biologically younger

Doctors have long been recommending what helps to stay healthy as you get older: stop smoking, lose excess weight, do a lot of sport and exercise, and eat a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. The Stanford doctors see the benefit of their study in the fact that everyone can take action against the individual risks of their aging type, for example by testing the particularly endangered organs – everything to stay healthy longer.

Incidentally, some test persons changed their lifestyle during the study period. They changed their diet, lost weight or started exercising. The result: the age-related changes in their bodies were reversed – they became biologically younger!

You can read here exactly how a healthier diet positively changes the body.

Even the study director is now doing more workout!

Professor Snyder also took part in his study as a test subject. Up until then he had always considered himself quite athletic. But the analysis of his data showed him that his body is biologically no younger than it corresponds to his age group. “I was a little disappointed to see that I was getting old pretty normal,” recalls Snyder. “That’s when I started strength training. I’m very interested in finding out next year whether this will affect my aging process.” Research into aging types is only just beginning. According to Michael Snyder, more studies are necessary, with more test subjects and measurements – so that more people than before can stay healthy and fit into old age.

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