For years, the common view of ageing has been that it unfolds gradually. But a study in Nature Aging last year suggested ageing happens in spurts rather than at a steady pace. New research now backs that idea and points to a fresh window when ageing may speed up.
In the study, researchers analysed blood and tissue samples from 76 organ donors aged 14 to 68 who died from accidental traumatic brain injury. Samples were taken from the cardiovascular, digestive, immune, endocrine, respiratory, skin and muscular systems.
The team built a catalogue of proteins found across these systems and tracked how levels shifted with age. Many of the proteins help drive cell growth, so declining levels suggest cells aren’t regenerating as efficiently as they do in younger bodies.
When researchers compared these age-related protein changes with a database of diseases and related genes, they found the expression of 48 proteins linked to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease and liver-related tumours increased with age.
The findings add weight to the idea that ageing isn’t strictly linear. Instead, our biology may move through periods of faster change that coincide with rising risk markers across multiple organs.
What did the study find?
The biggest shifts appeared between ages 45 and 55. Across many tissues there were marked changes, most striking in the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart, as well as the pancreas and spleen. The authors describe an “ageing inflection” around 50, with blood vessels ageing early and showing particular vulnerability.
What does this mean?
The research did not pinpoint why 50 is a tipping point. It shows that key proteins needed for normal cell function tend to decline around this age, especially in the vasculature, but the drivers remain unclear.
“We don’t really understand if it’s genetic or inflammatory,” notes clinical associate professor of medicine Dr John Fudyma. Hormonal shifts likely contribute, adds educator Melissa Batchelor: by the 50s muscle mass and metabolism commonly decline as part of natural ageing.
The study was small and does not prove that everyone changes at the same pace. Ageing is highly individual. As Dr Bert Mandelbaum, puts it, two forces matter most: the genes you inherit and what you do with them.
Lifestyle can push biology in helpful or harmful directions. Batchelor agrees that habits make a difference. Regular movement, a balanced diet, enough sleep, managing stress and not smoking may help delay or blunt this midlife inflection.
How to live a longer, healthier life
Ageing well is less luck and more daily habits. “Ageing well isn’t as much of a gamble as people think,” says Batchelor. “It comes down to small healthy routines you do every day.” Doctors suggest focusing on the basics below.
- Sleep seven or more hours. Consistent, quality sleep supports immune function, mood and metabolic health.
- Move more, sit less. Build activity into your day with walks, stairs and regular stretch breaks. Long sitting spells raise health risks.
- Strength train twice a week. Muscle and bone naturally decline with age, so add resistance moves for legs, back, chest and core.
- Choose a balanced plate. Centre meals on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and lean proteins with minimal ultra-processed foods.
- Manage stress. Try simple practices that suit you such as breathing exercises, time in nature or a short daily wind-down.
“You are what you eat, drink, think and do,” says Dr Mandelbaum. Aim for an all-round approach rather than perfecting one area and ignoring the rest. Ageing is inevitable, decline is not. Small consistent choices can help you stay stronger for longer.
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