Biomolecular shifts occur in our 40s and 60s (2024)

What to Do About the Shifts? Lifestyle, Tradeoffs, and Feasibility

• Many treat the findings as confirmation that sleep, regular exercise (esp. strength training), whole foods, low alcohol, and social connection are the only reliable tools to delay functional decline.
• Others argue these habits often “don’t make a dent” subjectively, or require sacrifices (moving, changing work, giving up enjoyable habits) that feel like they negate the point of living longer.
• There’s debate over moderation vs extremes: some see abstinence from alcohol/ultra-processed food as liberation; others see intense health regimens as joyless and unrealistic.

Skepticism About the Study and Aging “Peaks”

• Several commenters question the robustness of the claimed rapid-change windows, noting that clustering/omics methods will always produce structure and can encourage overinterpretation.
• Critiques: no independent holdout validation for specific ages; peaks might reflect social/lifestyle milestones rather than intrinsic biology.
• Defenders reply that the methods and limitations are documented, that interpretation is inevitable in unsupervised analyses, and that this is a starting point for follow-up work, not final proof.

Anecdotal Aging Patterns in 30s and 40s

• Many in their late 30s–40s report a sharp, sudden shift: gray hair, fatigue, slower recovery, VO2max drop, and general “everything is a bit harder.”
• Others the same age say they feel and look similar to their 20s, often linking that to good sleep, diet, exercise, and/or not having kids.
• Parenting and chronic sleep disruption are frequently cited as accelerants of perceived aging.

Exercise, Work, and “Use It or Lose It”

• Multiple anecdotes describe people in their 40s–50s becoming fitter than in youth through modest but consistent training and diet changes.
• At the same time, commenters stress inevitabilities like presbyopia and slower healing: lifestyle can delay decline, not abolish it.
• There’s pushback against equating “active jobs” with healthy aging: physical labor often brings injuries, weather exposure, poor rest, and unhealthy coping habits.

Genetics, Luck, and Social Constraints

• Broad agreement that genetics set a ceiling but lifestyle nearly always helps; disagreement over how large the effect is.
• Several note that “healthy lifestyle” is a privilege: long hours, urban pollution, stress, and low income make ideal habits impractical for many.
• Some point out that people often misjudge what “middle ground” health looks like in societies where overweight and inactivity are normalized.

Sex Differences and Menopause

• One thread notes that similar biomolecular transitions in men and women suggest significant male midlife changes alongside menopause.
• Others emphasize that female menopausal metabolic effects are well-established and not mirrored by an equivalent male fertility loss.

Attitudes Toward Longevity and Meaning

• Philosophical tension recurs: is it worth extending life if it seems to require constant restraint and self-surveillance?
• Counterargument: a healthy body expands the time and capacity to enjoy relationships, work, and moderate pleasures, rather than forbidding them.
• A minority offer more speculative or conspiratorial explanations (e.g., “iron poisoning” as root cause of aging), which others do not substantively engage with.