Accelerated Aging: Some Age Much Faster Than Others

Aging isn't just something seen in the elderly. Early signs of wrinkles and creases start forming at a much younger age, too. And we're not exactly all aging at the same rate, either, according to a new study. 

New findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that different rates of aging can be detected in the early to mid-20s.

For the study, researchers collected data on the study subjects' kidney, lung and liver function, dental health, blood vessels in the eye, metabolism and immune system function at the ages of 26, 32 and 38, according to AFP.

They also measured cholesterol, fitness levels and the length of telomeres, using a total of 18 biological measurements to determine "biological age" for participants.

In a group of 38-year-olds, researchers found that some had the same physiology as 30-year-olds while others were closer to 60.

"We are now at a point where we can quantify biological ageing in young people, " concluded Dr Andrea Danese, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychobiology and Psychiatry at Kings College London, via The Telegraph. "And for the first time we can see how fast they are ageing. The people who had the oldest biological age were growing old the fastest. If we know that we can think about changing diets or making lifestyle changes when it is early enough to do something about it. With these tests we could detect premature ageing before young people being to develop heart disease, diabetes or dementia so we could treat them."

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