Study Finds Millennials Age Faster Biologically, Raising Early Cancer Risk

A large study of more than 164,000 adults in the United Kingdom and the United States measured biological aging using the PhenoAge index, which combines nine blood biomarkers. People born in the 1990s showed a 92 % larger gap between biological and chronological age compared with those born in the mid‑1960s, indicating accelerated aging.

The accelerated aging was linked to a higher likelihood of developing solid tumours before age 55, especially lung, gastrointestinal and uterine cancers. Each standard‑deviation increase in the biological‑age gap raised the risk of early solid‑tumour cancer by 8 %, with lung‑cancer risk rising by 57 %.

Researchers led by molecular epidemiologist Yin Cao of Washington University said the findings may reflect broader environmental and lifestyle changes. As David Scott of Cancer Grand Challenges noted, “We do not yet have a definitive answer as to what is causing the rise in early‑onset cancers worldwide.”