Born after 1965? Study suggests your body may be ageing faster

People born in more recent decades showed signs of faster biological ageing than earlier generations, and this faster ageing was linked to a higher risk of certain cancers occurring before the age of 50, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine.

The study, conducted by researchers from institutions including Washington University and Harvard, examined data from more than 1,54,000 young adults in the UK Biobank and 10,262 participants in the US All of Us Research Program. The findings were published on June 22, 2026.

The researchers used blood test markers to estimate each person's biological age and compared it with their chronological age. The difference between the two, referred to as the "age gap", was used as an indicator of how much faster or slower a person's body was ageing compared with others of the same age.

The study found that people born between 1965 and 1974 showed a 23% increase in this age gap compared with those born between 1950 and 1954. In other words, people from more recent generations appeared to be ageing faster, on average, by the time they were studied as young adults.

This accelerated ageing was associated with a higher risk of developing certain cancers before the age of 50, particularly cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, including the colon, and uterus. The risk was found to be independent of a person's inherited genetic tendency towards either faster ageing or cancer, suggesting that other factors were also at play.

The study noted that early-onset cancers have been rising globally in recent generations, and that understanding what is driving this trend has remained a challenge for researchers. It suggested that the rise in the biological age gap across generations may reflect the combined effects of various lifestyle and environmental changes over the decades, including shifts in diet, physical activity, body weight and sleep patterns, although no single cause was identified.

Notably, the link between faster ageing and lung cancer risk remained even after accounting for smoking history, indicating that processes beyond smoking alone may be contributing to the disease in younger people. The study also pointed out that a large share of young lung cancer patients in the UK were diagnosed only at an advanced stage, and that in the US, lung cancer rates among younger people were now higher among women who had never smoked.

Additionally, the researchers examined ageing in specific organs and tissues using a different set of biological markers. They found that faster ageing of the immune system was linked to a higher risk of early-onset lung cancer, while faster ageing of fat tissue was associated with a higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.

The study concluded that measuring the biological age gap could be a useful tool for understanding why cancer rates are rising among younger adults. It called for further research to confirm the findings and explore the underlying biological mechanisms to guide future prevention efforts.

Experts' opinion

Dr Brunda M. S., senior consultant of internal medicine at Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, explained that biological age reflects the actual condition of a person's cells, tissues and organs, rather than the number of years they have lived. She said this was usually assessed through markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammation levels and organ function tests.

“If a person’s biological age ends up higher than their real age, that can mean their body is going through a kind of accelerated ageing, and that might raise the chances of long-term illnesses like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers,” Dr Brunda noted.

She pointed out that younger generations are ageing faster because of sedentary lifestyles, poor sleep, chronic stress, processed food consumption, rising obesity and diabetes rates, as well as environmental factors such as air pollution and disrupted body clocks.

She said routine biological age testing was not currently recommended for all young adults because most tests were still being refined and lacked standardisation for general clinical use. Instead, she advised focusing on established health checks such as blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, physical activity and sleep. She noted that biological age testing could be more useful in research settings or for individuals with existing risk factors such as obesity, smoking or a family history of chronic illness, and that the results should ideally be discussed with a doctor.

Dr Brunda said that while ageing could not be reversed, healthy habits could help slow it down and potentially lower cancer risk. She recommended regular exercise, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, moderating alcohol intake, sleeping seven to nine hours a night, managing stress, and keeping up with recommended health screenings and vaccinations.

This story is done in collaboration with First Check, the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS.