A new international study shows that the increased cancer risk in adults under 55 is linked to cells aging much earlier than their chronological age.
An international study conducted in the US and UK has revealed that the recent increase in cancer cases among adults under 55 may be due to cells aging much faster than their chronological age. The study, led by Washington University School of Medicine, examined the genetic, biological, and lifestyle data of over 160,000 individuals from the UK and US. Analyses found that individuals born in recent generations exhibit an older biological profile at the cellular and organ level compared to previous generations at the same chronological age. It was determined that the risk of cancer in young individuals with a biological age advancing faster than their chronological age increased by up to 15%.
'AS IMMUNITY AGES, LUNG CANCER INCREASES; AS FAT TISSUE AGES, INTESTINAL CANCER RISES'
Accelerated biological aging was noted to be directly related to cancers of the lung, uterus, and gastrointestinal system. Researchers highlighted that the aging speed of different systems in the body triggers different types of tumors. Accordingly, early aging of the immune system increases the risk of early-stage lung cancer, while rapid aging of fat tissue was observed to trigger cases of colon cancer.
Dr. Yin Cao, who led the research, stated that the cellular traces left by modern environmental conditions and lifestyle increase cancer susceptibility. Yin noted that biological age measurements will allow for the identification of young individuals at high risk while they are still healthy, enabling screening and preventive interventions to begin at much earlier ages.
