Experts have said colon cancers may be increasing among those under 50 because the bodies of some young people are aging faster than they should.
Researchers at the University of Miami have discovered that the phenomenon, called accelerated aging, can increase the risk of developing the disease.
Accelerated aging is said to occur when a person’s biological age is older than their real (or chronological) age.
While chronological age refers to years lived, biological age is based on physiological markers that reflect the impact of genetics, lifestyle choices, and environmental factors on the body.
It can be determined through sophisticated DNA, saliva or blood tests.
In the latest series of The Kardashians, Kim, her mother Kris and sister Khloe underwent biological aging tests.
They discovered that Khloe’s biological age was 28, 11 years younger than her real age, 39.
Meanwhile, Kim, 43, was given a biological age of 34, and Kris six years younger than her actual age.
If a person is 50 years old, but their biological age is 55, their aging has been accelerated by five years, said Dr. Shria Kumar, the colorectal cancer specialist behind the new research.
If a person is 50 years old, but their biological age is 55, their aging has been accelerated by five years, said Dr. Shria Kumar, the colorectal cancer specialist behind the new research.
“That could be reflected in the overall functioning of the body,” he added.
“It sounds quite theoretical, but accelerated aging has actually been shown to predict time to death and even the onset of multiple cancers.
Rates of colorectal cancer in people under age 50, called early-onset colorectal cancer, are increasing.
The finding comes amid a global explosion of colon cancers in younger patients that has baffled doctors.
While most common in people over 50, the disease has increased by 50 percent in younger age groups over the past three decades, recent data suggests.
For this reason, in the United States, health chiefs now recommend that colon cancer screening, also known as bowel cancer screening, begin at age 45.
Some doctors now say this should be moved even younger, because half of early-onset colorectal cancers occur in people under 45, according to the latest statistics from the National Cancer Institute.
In the latest series of The Kardashians, Kim, her mother Kris and sister Khloe underwent biological aging tests.
However, in the UK, NHS testing is only available to people aged 54 to 74.
The exact reason for the link between accelerated aging and colon cancer is not fully understood.
However, some factors that increase a person’s risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer also increase biological age.
These include poor diets (including diets high in ultra-processed foods), obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle habits.
Other key factors in accelerated aging are pollution and stress.
Earlier this year, separate research found that young people diagnosed with certain types of cancer – especially lung, gastrointestinal and uterine cancers – were more likely to experience accelerated aging.
Interestingly, American researchers involved in the study said there was “strong evidence” that the risk of accelerated aging, and therefore developing cancer, increased with each successive generation born after 1965.
And that may mean that Generation Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 who are now becoming young adults – are at much higher risk of developing life-threatening diseases like cancer at a much earlier stage than their parents or grandparents.
Professor Ilaria Bellantuono, co-director of the Healthy Lifespan Institute at the University of Sheffield, told MailOnline: “We don’t know enough to say with certainty that younger generations are aging faster or why,” she says.
‘That investigation has not been done. But it’s not impossible. We’re seeing more illnesses in younger people, the kind of illnesses we would normally expect to develop in older adults.
‘And biological aging is a risk factor for these diseases. In the same way that smokers increase their risk of lung cancer, does accelerated aging increase the risk of developing more chronic diseases in the long term?
Dr Kumar suggested that accelerated aging tests could help detect younger people who should be offered regular screenings and colonoscopies.
Colon cancer screening is done through convenient at-home stool sample testing.
It is offered because early detection of the disease has been shown to improve both treatment options and outcomes for this disease.
A positive screening test result is usually followed by a colonoscopy, during which any polyps found can be removed.
“It sounds quite theoretical, but accelerated aging has been shown to predict time to death and even the development of multiple cancers,” Dr. Kumar continued.
‘The really interesting thing about the opportunity in colorectal cancer is that we have a clear prevention tactic.
“Colonoscopy is not only early detection, but also cancer prevention.”