Why You’re Aging Faster Than Your Friends

It’s inevitable: Everybody gets older. And although elderly people typically serve as subjects of aging studies, recent research at Duke University sheds light on the shocking aging patterns of younger people. Duke medical doctors evaluated the quality of 954 younger adult's various organ systems (including but not limited to: heart, lungs, veins, kidneys, and brain) at ages 26, 38, and midlife. They found that chronological age did not necessitate biological age (declining integrity of multiple organ systems), and younger bodies were all over the map in terms of biological decline, at completely different rates than their peers. Even more notable for those obsessed with all things young and beautiful: Faster biological aging directly correlated to outward appearance of aging. So, the people with healthier bodies were the ones who had younger looking physiologies as well. Subject self-perception of facial biological age and overall well-being stacked up quite similarly to unbiased outsider perception. This shows we are not our harshest critics when it comes to aging and health, but rather, we share that burden quite equally with the public. With new information on aging patterns (or lack thereof) in pre-midlife adults, the study authors write that one obvious next step is to "allow for testing the effectiveness of anti-aging therapies (e.g., caloric restriction) without waiting for participants to complete their lifespans.” Between the world’s population collectively aging more than ever before, and the growing preoccupation with health culture, it’s safe to say that any preventative methods to allow for a gorgeous and thriving journey to old age are welcome with open arms.