Over-the-Cliff Changes in Your 40s and 60s

Prepare to mitigate the inevitable nosedive

I may have told you this already, but I earmark certain days of the week for “treats,” a highly anticipated pattern that my husband and I have enjoyed for the past 30+ years. Saturday night is my now-infamous everything-from-scratch (except for the cheese) pizza night, and Sunday morning is our anything-goes breakfast. Last week, I made pancakes and scrambled eggs; sometimes, the treats are cinnamon rolls or pastries or a hearty spread of hash browns, sausage, sourdough toast, and eggs.

You get the picture. Occasional indulgences inspire us to eat healthy the rest of the week.

For several decades, Andrea and I had a third day: a standing lunch date on our porch, which we nicknamed “grease lunch.” It was precisely what the name implies: greasy French fries, onion rings, hamburgers, fried fish sandwiches, all washed down with soda. We had the drill down, including serving ware and placemats. Friends often joined us; everyone looked forward to it. It was an experience!

And then the unthinkable happened. The combination of foods my body once craved wasn’t sitting at all well. Hmm. Ok, instead of the fish sandwich with yummy creamy dressing, I lightened up and had a grilled cheese on wheat. That seemed like it would solve it. Nope. Ok, I decided to forego the soda. Still nope. Next, I skipped the onion rings and eventually the fries. Soon, I watched Andrea and our son have “grease lunch” while I ate my alternate cottage cheese and berries. Gosh, this wasn’t at all fun anymore.

Inevitability strikes twice
What the heck happened? Much to my dismay, this sea change occurred about 5 years ago, and since I was on the verge of my 60s, I chalked it up to my digestion changing with age. Little did I realize it was just a harbinger of even bigger changes on the horizon.

I’m 4 years into this 6th decade, and I feel like I’m on shifting sands. Seriously, it seems as though every day brings a new “oh crumb” revelation. Crepey, saggy skin on the neck and inside the arms. Crumb! Tender morning feet. Loss of grip strength despite weightlifting. Crumb, crumb! Lackluster, slightly thinner hair. Out of breath up a hill. Puffier eyes. A dent here, a bulge there, new twinges everywhere. Crumb, crumb, crumb! What on earth is this?

Looking back on my 40s and 50s, I diligently cared for my health. I ate (mostly) well, exercised, and was already living toxin-free—it was relatively smooth sailing until late 50s heading into 60. Then, I experienced the proverbial cliff, and everything felt like it was suddenly changing. Turns out, it actually was. A recently published Stanford Medical study in Nature Aging shows that we have two periods of rapid change during our lifespan, averaging around the ages of 44 and 60.

Conventional wisdom previously held that our bodies peak at about 25 years old, plateau for 5 to 10 years, then begin a gradual age-related decline until we coast off into the sunset. However, rather than this widely accepted slow slide, this study instead reveals significant, dramatic shifts in our molecules and microorganisms that translate to sudden, substantial physical and health changes at these two mid-40s, early-60s milestones.

Researchers focused on the thousands of microbiomes and molecules in 108 people aged 25 to 75. In fact, they tracked age-related changes in more than 135,000 proteins, RNA, metabolites, and microbes for a total of nearly 250 billion distinct data points. The scientists discovered that most of these molecules and microbes do not shift gradually; instead, at these two age markers, 81% of them showed non-linear fluctuation in a fall-off-the-cliff fashion.

Body and health transformations
The changes that occur at the 44-year mark differ from those that happen in the early 60s. In the mid-40s, there were significant variations in a number of molecules related to alcohol, caffeine, and lipid metabolism (digesting, storing, and utilizing fats); cardiovascular disease; and skin and muscles. In the 60s, although there was some overlap, such as cardiovascular disease, skin, and muscles, there were also changes related to carbohydrate and caffeine metabolism, immune regulation, and kidney function.

The researchers were surprised by the change cluster in the mid-40s that affected both men and women, suggesting that peri-menopause and menopause didn’t skew women’s health as much as expected. This implies more profound, external factors may influence mid-life health (such as diet, environment, and lifestyle), which may have a domino effect into the 6th decade.

Personally, this is very eye-opening because it explains the innumerable macro changes I’ve experienced and heard people complain about. Specifically, the carbohydrate metabolism shift explains my inability to indulge in our beloved grease lunch pastime and other chip snacks I used to delight in occasionally but now entirely eschew. It also illuminates why so many people experience weight gain and body shape changes in midlife, and it becomes even worse into the second half of life.

More significantly, the dramatic change in immune regulation in the early 60s explains the litany of age-related diseases that crop up in the 60s and beyond, such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and eye diseases; cancers; and type 2 diabetes.

Connect the driver dots
The fascinating aspect of this study is that it focused on two things: the rate of decline, rather than the predictable descent, and the source—metabolites and microbiome—which are at the molecular level of change. Identifying both of these factors can help us better mitigate the impact with proper planning and implementation.

Although the researchers haven’t yet looked at drivers, it’s logical to start connecting the dots.

The toxic soup we live in, which is emerging as the genesis of many ills, may be exacerbating and accelerating the natural molecular changes in our bodies—and may be the key in mitigating some of the inevitable effects. For instance, we know inflammation significantly impacts the immune system; the correlation between ultra-processed food, EMF exposure, lack of movement, and exercise has been established as causing “inflammaging,” which stems from the molecular level.

Could these findings also help explain the emergence of age-related diseases in younger people? Believe it or not, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, fatty liver disease, and even osteoporosis are manifesting in children as young as 8! All of these ailments are by-products of a burgeoning obesity epidemic, which, when you peel back the layers, are caused mostly by ultra-processed food and lack of exercise, which also causes inflammation that disrupts molecular function. Dots connected.

Plan ahead
My forties were quite different than most women because I gave birth at the age of 46, so my body may have been counteracting many of the changes that typically would be occurring. But this 60-marker is an entirely different story. Had I known what a sizable cliff was looming, I could have taken mindful steps in my fifties to attenuate the changes.

For instance, I wasn’t prepared for the dramatic change in my muscles because I hadn’t noticed any incremental changes. I would have increased protein and creatine intake and lifted much heavier weights than what was in my rotation. Now that I’ve noticed such a sea change, I’ve recommitted to regaining the strength that slipped a little by lifting heavier weights and consistently doing so three times a week.

I also wasn’t ready for the giant shift in metabolism. I knew that people’s metabolism changed with age, but I thought I would see the changes starting to happen and thus be able to stay ahead of them. Not so. Knowing what I know now, I would have cleaned up my diet quite a bit more than I already had.

Seeing that alcohol metabolism is a through-thread for both age groups, I would have been much more careful not to over-indulge and weaned off that nightly bottle of wine that had become a habit for my husband and me. Doing so in my fifth decade (and possibly even earlier), could have impacted the second wave of changes. Now, I only occasionally drink and haven’t had even a sip since February.

Focus on the tiny
Zooming out, the big picture is actually found in the tiny—all of the age-related systemic changes are rooted in our molecules and microbiome. We need to safeguard and nurture our cells and good bacteria with—you guessed it—a healthy lifestyle: good quality sleep; morning and noon sun; movement and strength training; consuming whole organic food; staying hydrated; limiting alcohol; managing stress; eliminating and mitigating the effects of toxins, microplastics and EMF; and cultivating strong family and personal relationships.

We have considerable control over our lifestyle and habits. Whichever decade you’re in, it’s not too early to make a plan and put it in place. If you’re past 60, take heart—it’s never too late—remarkably, people make positive changes well into their 80s and 90s! Whatever your age, enacting lifestyle changes has a tremendous impact on your cells, enabling us to live well, age great.

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