Slowing is a side-effect of using the One Power that causes the rate of aging to be decreased. It affects both men and women who touch the True Source regularly over an extended period of time, usually taking five years or more of channeling before the effect becomes visible. Slowing manifests physically as a reduction in the effects of time on the body, so people who are over a hundred years old can appear still young. The lifespan of channelers is increased drastically as a result of this, with examples in the Third Age of women over four hundred years old and people in the Age of Legends who are known to have lived much longer - Mesaana for example claims to be over three hundred years old and still considered 'just into her middle years' by Age of Legends standards.