Do you think you are ageing faster than everyone else? Well, a new study suggests that some people indeed age faster than others.

Based on the detailed study of biological ageing, scientists found that some individuals can age three times faster than their birthdays suggest. As per News.com.au, a group of 38-year-olds took part in the experiment, and it was found that their biological age was within the range of 28 to 61.

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"Some of the people in our cohort had aged physiologically not at all between 26 and 38," Duke University's Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development lead study author Daniel Belsky said. "On the inside they looked the same -- the 12 years of time hadn't passed. At the other end of the extreme there were folks aging two to three times as much."

To determine the speed at which a person is ageing, experts tested the kidney, liver, lung and immune system functions of the patients. They also assessed the metabolism, cholesterol, heart health and the length of the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres.

In addition, scientists also observed the condition of the tiny capillaries at the back of the eye, which provide a glimpse of the state of blood vessels in the brain.

In the experiment, 18 biomarkers were measured when the volunteers were 26, then again when they were 32, and finally at 38. Combining the measurements allowed scientists to determine each individual's pace of ageing, NBC News reported. For most partakers, chronological and biological age kept at roughly the same pace.

Unfortunately, some were found to have bodies ageing as fast as three years per chronological year, while others did not age at all biologically. Whereas 30 volunteers from the original group had died by the age of 38 due to serious illnesses like cancer, suicides, accidents and drug overdose.   

Meanwhile, in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal, researchers revealed the molecular and behavioral pathways to rejuvenation. According to IOL Scitech, a team of researchers from universities in Britain, the U.S., Israel and New Zealand discovered that some people can halt and even reverse the ageing process in their thirties.

When the team measured the effects of ageing in almost a thousand volunteers in over a 12-year period, three participants had shown no deterioration. They had biologically aged zero years, and had even begun to look younger.

In an era where beauty and vanity are deemed important, the new research experiment may be significant in developing what would be like the "fountain of youth" of the future.

TagsAgeing, Study