Heed the warning signs

The Dunedin Study has shown a close link between life experience and the pace at which we age.

- VERONIKAMEDUNA

As we get older, it can be comforting to think of age as just a number. But it's also true. We all know someone who looks years younger than their chronological age - and, of course, the reverse happens to some people.

Now the Dunedin Study, which has been following 1000 people born in the city 50 years ago, is delivering new insights into why the pace of ageing differs widely between individuals. It has found that ageing processes are well under way by the time people reach their 30s, decades before any age-related symptoms appear.

The speed at which we age depends in part on early life experiences, and our ageing trajectories become clear by midlife, says study director Richie Poulton. "In the past, researchers tended to focus on the life stages associated with the greatest amount of developmental change - childhood and towards the end of life. The middle adult years were largely ignored.