Key points from article :
Women tend to experience accelerated ageing around the ages of 30 and 50, based on the analysis of molecular and physical markers.
This may be due to hormonal changes that occur when some women give birth or go through the menopause.
This is the most comprehensive study yet of ageing in women by combining multiple measures.
A total of 113 participated aged 20-66 years with no known medical conditions were recruited from Quzhou, a city in south-east China.
Collected samples of blood, urine and faeces; photographed their faces; enquired about diet and other lifestyle factors.
Over 100 clinical measurements were taken, including height, weight, BP, lung capacity, grip strength and ability to stand on one leg.
A composite ageing clock was established based on genes and proteins, as well as telomere lengths, facial dimensions, gut microbiomes, hormones, lipids, immune markers and other measures.
Women tended to be biologically younger if they had healthy diets that included eating plenty of fruits and grains.
“These results indicate that the pace of female ageing might be, at least partially, regulated by the hormone regulation system,” - Weiqi Zhang, corresponding author.
“Hormone replacement therapy can alleviate the decline in circulating hormones, potentially slowing the rate of ageing,” - Zhang.
Planning to conduct a similar study in men to find out if they display different patterns of ageing.
Study by Beijing Institute of Genomics, published in the journal Med.
