A study published in Nature Medicine suggests that younger generations are experiencing faster biological aging than previous generations, which may contribute to the rising incidence of cancers diagnosed before age 55, known as early-onset cancers.

Biological aging reflects the body's overall health and function rather than a person's actual (chronological) age. Researchers measured the difference between biological and chronological age, referred to as the "age gap." A larger age gap indicates that the body is aging faster than expected.

Analyzing data from more than 154,000 participants in the UK Biobank and over 10,000 individuals in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, researchers found that higher biological aging was associated with an increased risk of early-onset solid cancers, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers. Individuals with the highest biological aging had a 15% greater risk of developing these cancers than those with the lowest levels, even after accounting for genetic risk.

The study also highlighted that accelerated aging in specific body systems may influence cancer risk. An older biological age of the immune system was linked to a higher risk of early-onset lung cancer, while accelerated aging of fat tissue was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Although the exact causes of faster biological aging remain unclear, researchers suggest that obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, metabolic disorders, and other lifestyle and environmental factors may contribute. While the findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, they indicate that biological aging could become a valuable marker for identifying individuals at increased risk of early-onset cancer.

Source: https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-news/faster-biological-aging-linked-to-rising-cancer-rates-in-younger-adults