Researchers have now found a way to measure the aging process in young adults as they have identified the factors that can determine whether people are aging faster or slower than their peers.
In the study conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the researchers showed that even among young adults, a person’s biological age may differ by many years from their actual chronological age.
Researcher Salomon Israel said that their research shows that age-related decline is already happening in young adults, who are decades away from developing age-related diseases.
Assistant Professor Dan Belsky said that they set out to measure aging in relatively young people as most studies of aging look at seniors, but if they wish to prevent age-related disease, they should start studying aging in young people.
Dr. Israel said that accelerated aging in young adults predicts the symptoms of advanced aging that they see in older adults, deficits in cognitive and physical functioning, feelings of ill-health, and even an older appearance.
He added that the ability to measure how quickly a young person is aging may in the future enable them to engage in interventions that slow aging or target specific diseases.
