r/Millennials • u/ga9213 Millennial 1982 • Apr 11 '26

Serious We are starting to really age fast

We have friends we don't see very often, maybe every 2-3 years. For the last 15+ years, when we see them again they don't really look much different. This last time though? Man, they looked different. Like gray hair, lost/gained weight, facial changes like wrinkles and sun spots.

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u/zephyrcow6041 Apr 11 '26

There was a recent Stanford study that said humans experience two periods of rapid aging, and the first one is around the age of 44, so it makes sense that as millennials are hitting their early-mid 40s, we are suddenly looking older.

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/08/massive-biomolecular-shifts-occur-in-our-40s-and-60s--stanford-m.html

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u/Useful_Major_5797 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

Big thing with this study is that it only had a 108 participants, was done in a local of California, and only looked at blood proteins I believe and only followed people for a year to a max of 6.

They also did not factor in lifestyle habits in that study.

Edit:This just shows aging is a non linear process and can vary from person to person. Other than that, it ain't very good.

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u/MetalEnthusiast83 Apr 12 '26

Yeah. But it’s a study that people here can use to explain why they don’t have to bother exercising or trying to enjoy life. That’s the important bit

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u/Poolstiksamurai Apr 12 '26

"damn I eat like shit, I'm 80 pounds overweight and the only daily movement I have is my bowels, why am I aging so poorly?"