Researchers have found that some people age slowly, only experiencing a few months’ worth of physical aging in a year, while others age more quickly, in effect, growing years older in just one calendar year. This may help explain why one 50-year-old might appear to be in their 30s while another seems closer to 70. This pace of aging is referred to as biological age which is different than chronological age or number of years a person has been alive.

Duke scientists recently discovered that the pace of aging may also serve as a powerful predictor of an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive decline. Read more here