This is a fact that individuals experience the ageing process at different rates, which becomes evident when attending high school reunions. It contrasts the appearances of individuals who were once bullies or popular in high school and how their physical ageing can vary.
The concept of chronological age versus biological age is introduced, with chronological age referring to the number of years a person has been alive and biological age referring to how old a person appears. The researchers in the study used 18 biological markers to assess the participants’ biological ages, including factors like blood pressure, organ function, cholesterol levels, dental health, and metabolism.
The study revealed that while most participants’ biological ages matched their chronological ages, some individuals had biological ages that were younger or older than expected. Some individuals were found to be ageing at a faster rate than the average of one year per year, while others appeared to be ageing at a slower rate or not at all.
The study author emphasized the relationship between external appearance and the ageing process, noting that looking older on the outside can be an indication of faster internal ageing. Additionally, the study demonstrated that it is possible to measure the ageing process in young people, which is typically associated with older individuals.
Overall, the passage highlights the individual variability in the ageing process and the importance of considering biological age in addition to chronological age when assessing ageing. While most appeared to be ageing at a rate of one year per year, some were ageing at a rate of up to three years per year, and others were ageing at a rate closer to zero years per year.
Study author Daniel Belsky, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University’s School of Medicine and Center for Aging, in Durham, N.C., explained, “What we found is a clear relationship between looking older on the outside and aging faster on the inside … And also that it’s possible to measure the kind of aging process in young people that we usually only look for in old people.”