Research published in the journal Nature Aging examined age-related changes in the molecules of more than 100 adults between the ages of 25 and 75.

It found that two bursts of cellular changes related to aging occur at two very specific times in our lives: the ages of 44 and 60. Dr. Michael Snyder joins us now.

He is the co-author of that study.

He is also the director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine.

Doctor, thanks for being here.

Great to be here.

So I'm a journalist.

I am not a doctor.

In journalist terms, layman's terms, what are the molecular changes that occur at these particular ages?

Yeah, well, what happens, obviously, we're aging throughout our entire life, but at these two periods, there seem to be a lot of bursts of activity. So in the 40s and 60s, actually, you see changes in muscle, you see changes in skin, cardiovascular disease.

But in your 40s, you also see changes in your lipids.

These are things like your cholesterol, things that lead to fat deposition, stuff like that.

And then in your 60s, you'll see a decline in your immune system, carbohydrate metabolism, kidney function, quite a few changes, and many of these are very health-related. So are these cellular changes behind the health issues that we tend to see in older people?

They are, and some are obvious, like wrinkles and muscle loss is very clear.

We know that already, but I think ours shows us at a molecular level, and then we find additional changes as well, shifts in carbohydrate metabolism, like I say, kidney function, things that you really should pay attention to as you reach these ages. Did the study find any differences in aging based on gender?

Sorry, doctor.

Oh, no, I was going to say the ones in the 40s was kind of unexpected.

I don't think we expected that burst, and there were some very useful things to find.

As far as gender is concerned, yeah, you might have thought this is all due to women entering menopause, but first of all, that's a little bit later on average.

And second, we find these changes both in men and women.

So we think these are general universal changes that are happening in everyone. Why is the burst in the 40s surprising to you as a scientist?

Yeah, I don't think we expected it.

Intuitively, you might say it makes sense.

People often pull muscles and things like that as they hit their 40s, they enter their midlife crisis.

But I think to see this in molecular terms was, it just hadn't been described before.

It's something new.

And then seeing the exact processes that are changing, we think is pretty powerful because, as I say, some of this information is actionable.

You might, for example, take statins as you're starting to get into your 40s and seeing your lipid shifting. What else can we do?

Because I don't want people to walk away with their head in their sand saying, there's nothing I can do.

I'm just going to get old.

Is there anything that we can do to sort of prevent any of these changes that we see in these bursts?

Yeah, just the opposite.

There's a lot you can do.

So first of all, exercise.

I know this sounds cliche, but exercise, building muscle mass.

I would argue weight training and strength training has a lot more benefits for your health than perhaps long-distance running.

And so we think muscle mass is important.

That helps you, we think, in your 40s and in your 60s.

I mentioned statins before for lipid control.

In your 60s, I think you want to do immune boosters, things anti-inflammatories, things like turmeric, garlic.

I would argue drink lots of water to improve your kidneys.

So really working on your lifestyle should help you get a longer and healthier lifespan.