Do Children Who Develop Faster Go on to Age Faster in Midlife?

This study looks at whether the speed of a child's development is linked to how fast their body ages in midlife. It uses two long-running studies: the Dunedin Study in New Zealand and the Add Health Study in the United States. Children who developed faster physically went on to show faster biological aging around age 45. Children who developed faster socially showed slower aging. The authors describe the findings as initial evidence on this link.

Key points

• In the Dunedin Study (N = 1,037, age 45), fast physical development in childhood was associated with faster midlife aging.
• Physical development was measured with a composite of birth weight for gestational age, toddler weight gain, timing of behavioral milestones, adiposity-rebound age, and timing and tempo of the adolescent growth spurt.
• In Add Health (N = 1,537, ages 33–44), girls who menstruated earlier had faster midlife aging, which replicated the physical-development finding.
• Faster social development in childhood, measured with the Vineland Social Maturity Scale, was associated with slower midlife aging.
• Biological aging was measured across several organ systems: cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, immune, dental and pulmonary.

Limitations

Only the abstract is available, so effect sizes, methods in detail and the handling of other influences are not reported. The study shows associations in two high-income country cohorts and does not show cause or test any intervention.