Remember when you were growing up and your aunt or uncle said it looked like you shot up 4 inches overnight? Or when you went to put on a pair of shoes you hadn’t worn for a while, and it seemed your feet were two sizes bigger than they were a couple weeks before? Well, it turns out those spurts don’t just happen when you’re a child in the process of growing up – they happen in your adult years, too. “Although not as obvious as in your teens, there definitely are ‘spurts’ connected with the aging process,” says Visalakshi Srinivasan, MD, who is board-certified in geriatrics and internal medicine and goes by the name “Dr. Visa.” She is affiliated with Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. “More and more studies are showing you are what you eat,” Dr. Visa adds. “And what we eat has a huge effect on our organs and how we age.” Mayo Clinic research suggests that aging is not a linear process but rather involves periods of accelerated changes at the molecular level, especially around ages 44 and 60. These “aging spurts” are linked to significant shifts in molecular and cellular processes that contribute to a faster decline in health and function during those periods. Dr. Visa suggests that if we learn about the expected aging spurts that tend to come in our 40s and 60s, we may be encouraged to do what we can to prevent – or at least, lessen – them. “People can be educated to start practicing the healthy habits they should have had all along,” she says. “What we do in our 40s can still have a positive effect on what happens to our bodies in our 60s.” A significant study done at Stanford University in 2024 showed that many of our molecules and microorganisms dramatically rise or fall in number during our 40s and 60s. It determined that when people were in their 40s, significant changes were seen in the number of molecules related to alcohol, caffeine and lipid metabolism; cardiovascular disease; and skin and muscle. For those in their 60s, changes were related to carbohydrate and caffeine metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, cardiovascular disease, and skin and muscle. Dr. Visa says, “Genetics, the environment and other physiological factors have an effect as well, as does gender. As we know, women tend to be frailer. They experience more bone loss, but men tend to have more muscle loss. “People need to concentrate on what we can control, primarily diet and exercise.” Medical News Today explains that stress can temporarily change our biological age, but the process reverses when the stressor is resolved. The stress can come from emotional upset, disease, drugs taken for health conditions or recreationally, environmental exposure to harmful substances, or lifestyle changes. Chronic stress occurs when the body stays on high alert, in the fight or flight mode, even after the stress eases. Dr. Visa concurs. “We need to learn to control stress to reduce inflammation. Not doing so leads to increased anxiety and depression, which can cause people to drink or smoke more” in a futile attempt to escape stress that actually adds to stress. Medical experts at Cleveland Clinic say that one of the greatest challenges facing older adults is preventing physical disability and extending what we call ‘active life expectancy’ – which means spending later years living life to its fullest, on into our 80s and even our 90s. Called successful aging, it the difference between getting older (which we all do) and getting frailer and less functional (which we don’t necessarily all do). Your genetics play a big role in how well you age, but your genes aren’t your destiny. There are steps you can take throughout your life that can help you maintain your physical, mental and cognitive health as you age. And it’s never too late to start, according to Dr. Visa. Illnesses like diabetes, congestive heart failure, and some forms of dementia can be delayed or even prevented. Even loss of muscle strength with aging is at least partly preventable. And maintaining a positive outlook can help you stay mentally strong as you face illness or personal losses. “Do you feel rested when you wake up in the morning?” asks Dr. Visa. “Undiagnosed sleep apnea is a big disrupter of getting adequate sleep. And getting the right amount of sleep is of great importance as we age.” A University of California team of researchers found that just one night of partial sleep deprivation activates genes related to biological aging in older adults. The blood of subjects in the study showed signs of deterioration in the cell’s growth and division cycle. The researchers report that these findings “causally link sleep deprivation to the molecular processes associated with biological aging,” suggesting that insufficient sleep may increase the risk of chronic disease by “activating the molecular pathways that drive biological aging.” Dr. Visalakshi Srinivasan earned her medical degree at Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai India, where she grew up. She completed post-graduate work in the United Kingdom and then moved to Ohio, where she completed her internship and residency at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Visa teaches neuropsychology classes at Florida Institute of Technology. She is accepting new patients at Health First Aging Services, 3661 South Babcock St., Melbourne. The phone number is 321-434-7611.