In the study, published in “The Journals of Gerontology: Series A,” researchers found that men in their 50s are on average 4 years older biologically than women of the same age.
The faster biological aging of men was explained by their more frequent smoking and larger body structures.
THERE ARE DIFFERENCES EVEN BETWEEN TWIN BROTHERS
The study examined whether there were differences in biological aging between men and women and how these differences were related to lifestyle.
To measure biological aging, epigenetic clocks were used to examine factors related to life expectancy throughout an individual’s life.
“In our research, we used a very rare study design and compared the aging rate between opposite-sex twins. A similar difference was observed between these twins. The brother was about a year older than his sister biologically,” said lead author of the study, Anna Kankaanpaa.
In the study, lifestyle factors such as education, body mass index, smoking and alcohol use, and physical activity were measured using questionnaires.