Health
Cancer rates rising in young people due to ‘accelerated aging,’ new study finds: ‘Highly troubling’
Accelerated aging — when someone’s biological age is greater than their chronological age — could increase the risk of cancer tumors.
That’s according to new research presented this week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.
“Historically, both cancer and aging have been viewed primarily as concerns for older populations,” Ruiyi Tian, MPH, a graduate student at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and one of the study researchers, told Fox News Digital.
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“The realization that cancer, and now aging, are becoming significant issues for younger demographics over the past decades was unexpected.”
In the study, diagnoses in patients younger than 55 years old were considered early-onset cancers.
The new study found that those with a higher biological age had a 42% increased risk of early-onset lung cancer, were 22% more prone to early-onset gastrointestinal cancer — and had a 36% higher risk for early-onset uterine cancer. (iStock)
The researchers analyzed data from 148,724 people using the UK Biobank database.
They estimated each person’s biological age using nine biomarkers in the blood — then compared that to their chronological age.
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Those with a higher biological age had a 42% increased risk of early-onset lung cancer, were 22% more prone to early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, and had a 36% higher risk for early-onset uterine cancer.
The researchers also determined that people born after 1965 were 17% more likely to experience accelerated aging than those born in earlier decades.
Diagnoses in patients younger than 55 years old were considered early-onset cancers. The hope is that the new findings will lead to interventions to slow biological aging as a “new avenue for cancer prevention,” the researchers said. (iStock)
“The principal findings highlight that accelerated aging is increasingly prevalent among successive birth cohorts, potentially serving as a crucial risk factor or mediator for various environmental and lifestyle-related risk factors leading to early-onset cancer,” Tian said in an email to Fox News Digital.
“This discovery challenges us to reconsider the underlying causes of the increasing incidence of early-onset cancers among newer generations,” he added.
“It is vital for recent generations to become more health-conscious and consider the implications of accelerated aging.”
The hope is that these findings will lead to interventions to slow biological aging as a “new avenue for cancer prevention,” the researchers noted, combined with screening efforts tailored to younger individuals.
“It is vital for recent generations to become more health-conscious and consider the implications of accelerated aging,” Tian said.
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In future studies, the research team will work to determine the factors that drive accelerated aging and early-onset cancers, which will help with the development of more personalized cancer prevention strategies, according to a press release.
One limitation of the study is that all participants were from the U.K., Tian noted.
“Therefore, our findings may not be directly generalized to populations in other countries or to racial and ethnic minority groups not represented in the cohort.”
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, often discusses the concept of accelerated aging with his patients, he told Fox News Digital. (Dr. Brett Osborn)
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, often discusses the concept of accelerated aging with his patients.
“Just because a person is 40 years old chronologically does not mean that they are 40 years old biochemically,” Osborn, who was not involved in the new research, told Fox News Digital.
“In other words, there may be a difference in one’s age – meaning, how long they’ve stood on this earth – and the body’s inner biochemical health, or lack thereof.”
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In Osborn’s clinic, he measures patients’ biological age to help measure the risk of age-related disease.
“Typically, the older someone is chronologically, the greater the chance of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart attack and stroke,” he said.
In future studies, the research team (not pictured) said it will work to determine the factors that drive accelerated aging and early-onset cancers — which will help with the development of more personalized cancer prevention strategies. (iStock)
“This is similarly the case if one’s biological age is higher than their calculated biological age — which means they are aging at an accelerated rate relative to their chronological age.”
“Their clock is, in essence, ticking faster.”
“As we reach a given biological age faster, age-related diseases will pop up earlier.”
Obesity plays a big part in accelerated aging, according to Osborn.
“Obesity rates are on the rise, and this is a primary risk factor for aging and age-related diseases,” he said.
Obesity plays a big part in accelerated aging, according to Osborn. “It is a gateway disease to type II diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few,” he told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“It is a gateway disease to type II diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few.”
Obesity also causes “biochemical abnormalities,” such as insulin resistance and high levels of inflammation in the body, the doctor warned.
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“As obesity rates rise for a variety of reasons, it should come as no surprise that rates of aging are going to accelerate, along with the rates of diseases such as cancer,” Osborn said.
“More simply put, as we reach a given biological age faster, age-related diseases will pop up earlier.”
The new research was conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. (Washington University)
Regarding the new Washington University study, Osborn called the findings “highly troubling.”
“This parallels the deteriorating health of the younger generations, as is evidenced – in this study – by the heightened cancer risk in the same population,” he told Fox News Digital.
Beyond cancer, Osborn predicted that a spike would also be detected for other age-related diseases.
“Our nation’s health – let alone Britain’s – is imperiled, and unless radical measures are taken, this trend will likely worsen before it gets better,” he warned.
“The younger population will be stricken with lethal diseases at an earlier age.”
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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