Younger generations may be ageing biologically faster than previous generations, a trend researchers say could help explain the rise in cancer cases among people under 50.

The findings come amid growing concern over early-onset cancer worldwide, with researchers examining why more younger adults are being diagnosed with diseases traditionally associated with older age. Biological ageing refers to changes in the body’s cells and molecules that may occur faster or slower than a person’s actual age.

According to research published in Nature Medicine, people born between 1965 and 1974 showed signs of greater biological ageing compared with those born between 1950 and 1954. The study also found that people born between 1990 and 1999 had higher biological ageing than those born between 1965 and 1969.

Professor Yin Cao, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine and a co-author of the study, said some younger adults are showing signs of ageing at the cellular and molecular level earlier than expected. Researchers believe these changes may be linked to the increasing number of cancer cases diagnosed at younger ages.

Cancer has long been considered more common among older adults, but experts say the pattern has been changing over the past three decades. A report published in the British Medical Journal found that new cancer diagnoses among people under 50 increased globally by 79 percent after 1990.

Researchers have also noted rising cancer cases among children and adolescents. According to the European Cancer Information System, around 13,800 children and young people were diagnosed with cancer in the 27 European Union member states in 2022.

Experts say further research is needed to understand the factors behind faster biological ageing and early-onset cancer, including lifestyle, environment, diet, obesity, physical activity and exposure to pollutants.

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