If You Were Born After 1965, Your Cells Might Be Aging Faster

People born in or after 1965 might be experiencing accelerated aging in their cells. This trend could be contributing to the rise in early-onset cancers among people younger than 55, according to new research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

“There are people that age more rapidly for a variety of different reasons, and their biological age tends to exceed their chronological age,” said Douglas E. Vaughan, MD, director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

Researchers estimate that genetics only accounts for 25% of the variability in human longevity. Younger generations may experience accelerated aging because of early exposure to risk factors like stress and environmental influences.

Some scientists want to slow biological aging as a way to prevent early-onset cancer and a number of other chronic diseases, like dementia and heart disease.

“If you slow down aging, maybe just a little bit, we might be able to push back the onset of aging-related diseases and give people a longer health span as opposed to a longer lifespan,” Vaughn said.

How Do Scientists Measure Biological Age?

Traditionally, scientists have used the length of telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, to estimate biological age.

“A few years ago, the gold standard for biological age was telomere length, but this was kind of crude and not particularly accurate,” Vaughn said.

Now, many longevity researchers rely on epigenetic clocks, such as Hannum’s clock, DNAm PhenoAge, and DNAm GrimAge. These methods measure changes in DNA methylation, which affects gene expression, to determine cellular aging more accurately.

Anthony J. Molina, PhD, a professor of medicine who specializes in aging research at the University of California San Diego, said epigenetic clocks can provide accurate estimates, but researchers still need to learn how these findings apply to age-related conditions.

“I think that’s where the research is still growing, as far as what can we do with this information in addition to figuring out how these can be used for decision-making for everyday Americans,” Molina said.

Can You Reverse Cellular Aging?

Home testing kits using epigenetic clocks are now available on the market. Even without knowing your exact biological age, scientists say certain lifestyle and behavioral modifications can improve your health span.

“Your epigenetic age, or your DNA methylation, is changeable. Simple things like diet and exercise, in the short term, can impact upon your biological age and actually lower it,” Vaughn said.

A small study involving six participants showed that certain dietary and lifestyle habits, such as consuming dark leafy greens and sleeping at least seven hours each night, helped lower their biological age. Additionally, multiple studies have suggested that quitting smoking may reverse smoking-related DNA methylation changes.

“Focusing in on some of the things that we know promote healthy longevity will begin to inform us on strategies for targeting the cellular hallmarks of aging in order to improve healthy longevity,” Molina said.

However, like many aspects of longevity research, there’s still a lot to learn about targeted interventions to reverse cellular aging. Although many people turn to anti-aging supplements as a fountain of youth, scientists are a long way from developing an effective medication that could reverse biological age.

“People always ask, ‘Is there going to be a supplement?’ First, we need to know what we need to target and what the process is—that’s the stage that we’re at,” Molina said.