Cancer is rising in younger adults. Faster biological aging may help explain why
Researchers have found that younger generations are experiencing faster biological aging, which correlates with an increased risk of early-onset cancers. The study suggests that the gap between chronological and biological age is widening in more recent generations due to environmental or lifestyle factors.
Why it matters
Understanding the link between accelerated biological aging and cancer could help explain the rising incidence of cancer in younger adults and inform future preventative strategies.
Cancer is strongly associated with age. The longer people live, the more opportunities their cells have to accumulate damage that can contribute to tumor growth. But cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults, and each newer generation appears to face a greater risk than the one before it.
That trend has prompted researchers to investigate a provocative possibility: Are younger generations accumulating biological damage more quickly, causing their bodies to age faster than expected?
A study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers evidence that this may be happening. The team found signs that younger generations are aging more rapidly on a biological level than older generations did at comparable ages.
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