Study finds '90s babies are aging faster, have higher cancer risk

Key Points:

• A new study reveals that people born in the 1990s are biologically aging faster than Generation X, with a 92% higher PhenoAge-defined age gap compared to those born in 1965-1969, indicating older biological age at the same chronological age.
• This accelerated biological aging is linked to a higher risk of tumorous cancers such as lung, gastrointestinal, colorectal, and uterine cancers, with male participants showing larger age gaps than females.
• Cancer rates among people under 50 have increased by 24% from 1990 to 2019, with early-onset colorectal and uterine cancers becoming more prevalent; those born in the 1990s are over four times more likely to develop early-onset colorectal cancer than those born in the 1960s.
• Researchers suggest that earlier puberty, obesity, diabetes, and stroke onset contribute to faster aging and increased cancer risk, and note that different organ systems may age at different rates, affecting cancer development.
• The study highlights the need for further research into how modern environmental, lifestyle, and societal changes accelerate aging and cancer risk, aiming to improve prevention and treatment strategies in the future.