Young Adults Are Aging Faster, Which May Be Driving Higher Cancer Rates

Young adults appear to be aging faster than the previous generation, which could explain the rising early onset cancer rates. Zeynep Kaya/Getty Images Researchers say younger generations appear to be aging faster than previous generations. They say the phenomenon may explain why certain cancers are rising drastically in young adults. The reasons for faster biological aging aren’t clear, but unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and exposure to carcinogens are likely factors. Younger generations are aging biologically faster than previous generations, which may have dire health consequences. A new study published in Nature Medicine on June 22 suggests that rapid cellular aging may explain why certain cancers have risen sharply in younger generations over the past decade. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that cancer can develop when genetic damage has accumulated in cells. When DNA is damaged, it can transmit flawed instructions, leading to malfunctions in cell division. That disruption can lead to cancer. This type of damage is commonly seen as people age. Ketan Thanki, MD, a colorectal surgeon specializing in benign and malignant disease of the colon, rectum, and anus at the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in California, said the new research provides valuable information. “The study shows that using established markers of biological age, we have evidence that younger generations are aging faster than previous generations,” he told Healthline. “The study doesn’t pinpoint exactly why but points toward factors that research has been suggesting for years,” Thanki told Healthline. Why are young adults aging faster? The researchers cited a 2021 study that identified several factors contributing to faster biological aging. These included: obesity and metabolic dysfunction unhealthy diet prolonged sedentary time circadian disruption exposure to environmental chemicals However, the researchers n