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By the time we're in the last half of our lives, some people appear older (and some younger) than their age. But how variable is the aging process in the first half of our lives, and can we measure it accurately?
An international team used a database of 954 people who were born in 1972 or 1973 and were followed longitudinally from ages 26 to 38; detailed physiological and cognitive measurements were made on three occasions. The researchers created a Pace of Aging score for each person, based on change in each of 18 biomarkers (such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], body-mass index, and creatinine level). They then compared that score to other measurements. Participants whose scores predicted the fastest aging process were more …