--- title: "Scientists Figure Out Exact Ages Your Face Will Start Aging Like Milk" description: "Stanford scientists have discovered that there are two specific age ranges at which your body starts to feel like it's aging ultra fast." date: "2024-08-19" modified: "2024-08-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/aging-crests-molecules-microbiomes" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "Aging" - "microbiome" - "microorganisms" - "molecules" --- # Scientists Figure Out Exact Ages Your Face Will Start Aging Like Milk ![Stanford scientists have discovered that there are two specific age ranges at which your body starts to feel like it's aging ultra fast.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Stanford scientists have discovered that there are two specific age ranges at which your body starts to feel like it's breaking down faster than ever before — and at which you start looking way older, too. The researchers [found]() that molecular and microbial fluctuations in our mid-40s and early 60s could be responsible for the rapid aging leaps we tend to experience during those years. Specifically, the Stanford researchers found in their new paper published in the [journal *Nature Aging*]() that on average, these leaps or "crests" tend to occur around the ages of 44 and 60. "We’re not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes," explained Michael Snyder, a Stanford genetics professor who was the senior author of the *Nature* paper. "It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s. And that’s true no matter what class of molecules you look at." To come to these groundbreaking conclusions, the aging experts looked at sample molecules, microorganisms, and gut and skin microbiomes from 100 people between the ages of 25 and 75. Collected routinely every three to six months for up to seven years, these samples indicated upon analysis that rather than gradual, chronological shifts occurring over time, there tended to be two periods of rapid change in microbes and microorganisms around the ages of 44 and 60. As the researchers found, there seemed to be some "dysregulation" when it comes to skin and muscle stability during both age crests of molecular and microbial changes. Those findings appear to suggest that during both those age waves, skin, and muscles age more rapidly. Beyond those surface-level aspects that occur during both shift crests, the research also found that each wave seemed to accelerate specific kinds of changes, too. Specifically, molecular changes related to the way we metabolize alcohol and caffeine occur around age 44. At 60, meanwhile, changes occurred in the immune system and kidney functioning of the subjects. Obviously, scientists need to do plenty more research to test out this hypothesis, and the authors noted that there are certainly lifestyle factors that could both result in these changes and help ease the worst of them, too. Specifically, decreasing alcohol consumption and learning exercises that protect your heart and increase muscle mass could benefit people as they keep these aging crests in mind, the Stanford scientists said. At the end of the day, that's [probably good advice]() for everyone, [regardless of their age](). **More on aging:** [*Scientists Intrigued by Drug That Extended Lifespans of Mice While Keeping Them Young-Looking*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()