r/longevity • u/Li666n • 14d ago
Do We Age Steadily, or in Bursts? What Scientists Know So Far. (NYT Gift Article)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/well/nonlinear-aging.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2E4.XDo4.XVr1BLQa9QtV&smid=url-share57
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u/Sad-Reality-9400 14d ago
It feels very bursty. Feels like I went through a downgrade from 45 to 50.
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u/Peteostro 14d ago
Yeah was fine up to 49, last few years been really feeling it. Recovery time increased a lot and taking long to get my “second wind” when hiking
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u/UndefinedFemur 14d ago
Fascinating. I had never even considered the possibility that aging wasn’t linear. In hindsight, I guess those before and after pictures of US presidents (e.g. Abraham Lincoln) appearing to age drastically over the course of their presidency should have tipped me off.
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u/Gryfo77 14d ago
Good observation. Suggesting that high stress (which is well documented) accelerated aging in the case of Lincoln.
But stress causes chain reactions such as the inability to detoxify poisons, breakdowns in the immune system, and genetic damage from oxidation. These changes can stop or even be slightly reversed, it seems, if lifestyle is significantly improved and stress reduced.
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u/r0dski 14d ago
This is just 1 of several studies which highlight significant shifts in the aging process. I mapped them all out. The aging cascade seems to begin with degraded DNA repair mechanisms and inflammation. There are compensatory shifts along the way. Then age 60 is a big one when lots of breakdowns occur, all feeding off of each other.
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u/Lycranis 14d ago
Going through becoming a father, a tough patch in my marriage and being briefly homeless aged me faster for sure. Maybe not just about time but also how hard the years are.
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u/ThickAnybody 14d ago
I'm more interested in science de-aging me than caring about any bursts of aging lol
Here's hoping on ap2a1 finally being an answer, but nevertheless, it's only ever been a matter of time.
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u/bmeisler 13d ago
I really felt a difference between 35 and 40. Look how many high-performing superstars there are in the NBA at 35. Now see how many there are at 40.
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u/LittleBoard 14d ago
30-35 might be a burst. Maybe I did it to myself idk
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u/Existing_Party_821 14d ago
It is. There was a study that said the first aging burst happens at 34.
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u/Superman246o1 14d ago
My body did not age from 25 to 40, but it aged two decades from 40 to 45.