New Study Identifies Molecular Aging 'Midlife Crisis'

A study published in Aging Cell explored the effects of aging on molecular mechanisms, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers determined vital molecular "programs" known to promote longevity stop functioning beyond midlife. "Surprisingly . . . humans appear to stop using these pathways from about 50 years of age onward," said University of Miami Professor Claes Wahlestedt. "Therefore, how long and how 'hard' each person regulates these pathways may influence human lifespan." The researchers gained these insights using a new technique for measuring comprehensive gene expression patterns, applied to carefully curated sets of tissue samples from humans at various ages. "Our study revealed that the complexity of regulation of aging programs may be much greater in humans as compared to other species," noted Wahlestedt. "This is related to our more complex genome, which may have evolved to allow for longer and healthier lifespan. But perhaps humans were not really meant to last beyond their 50s."