- UCLA and 25 centers analyzed DNA of 13,000 people in US and Europe
- They compared ageing rate of blood with person’s real age
- The study showed some have faster ageing rate – even if they’re healthy
- Five per cent of people age faster than their peers, the study showed
Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com
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Five per cent of us are genetically programmed to age faster and die younger than everyone else, a groundbreaking new study reveals.
Scientists at UCLA have identified the clearest evidence to date that each individual has their own ‘internal clock’ that moves at a different pace to others.
It means that some people have a 50 per cent higher risk of an early death no matter what they smoke, drink, or eat.
The research could explain why some people die before the age of 100 despite being well-rested, physically active, healthy and stress-free.
Experts have hailed the discovery as a breakthrough that could one day lead to methods to slow the ageing process.
Scientists at UCLA have identified the clearest evidence to date that each individual has their own ‘internal clock’ that moves at a different pace to others
HOW DID THEY DISCOVER OUR INTERNAL CLOCKS?
Researchers measured the ageing rate of each individual using a tool developed by lead author Steve Horvath.
The so-called epigenetic clock, which UCLA has temporarily patented, calculates the ageing of tissues and blood by looking at methylation (the process in which DNA breaks down over time).
They then took this data – each person’s ‘biological age’ – and contrasted it with the person’s real age to calculate their life expectancy.
‘While a healthful lifestyle may help extend life expectancy, our innate aging process prevents us from cheating death forever,’ Horvath said.
The study, published in the journal Aging, analyzed DNA in blood samples from more than 13,000 people in the US and Europe.
Researchers measured the ageing rate of each individual using a tool developed by lead author Steve Horvath.
The so-called epigenetic clock, which UCLA has temporarily patented, calculates the ageing of tissues and blood by looking at methylation (the process in which DNA breaks down over time).
They then took this data – each person’s ‘biological age’ – and contrasted it with the person’s real age to calculate their life expectancy.
To their surprise, they found some people – even healthy ones – appeared biologically destined to die younger than their peers.
Five per cent of the 13,000 participants had a faster ageing rate, making them 50 per cent more likely to develop disease that lead to an early death.
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It is not yet clear why and how this internal clock determines life-span, co-author Dr Themistocles Assimes, an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, explained.
‘Do the epigenetic changes associated with chronological aging directly cause death in older people?’ Dr Assimes said.
‘Perhaps they merely enhance the development of certain diseases—or cripple one’s ability to resist the progression of disease after it has taken root.
The research could explain why some people die before the age of 100 despite being well-rested, physically active, healthy and stress-free
‘Future research is needed to address these questions.’
Regardless, Dr Horvath said, the findings offer crucial evidence of how we could keep our ageing population youthful for longer.
‘We must find interventions that prolong healthy living by five to 20 years,’ he explained.
‘The epigenetic clock would allow scientists to quickly evaluate the effect of anti-aging therapies in only three years.’
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