Study Reveals Millennials Are Aging More Rapidly Than Expected

WHO:

ScienceAlert - Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, including molecular epidemiologist Yin Cao.

NY Post - Refers to younger generations, specifically Millennials and those born in the 1990s.

WHAT:

ScienceAlert - A study suggests that more recent generations are biologically older than earlier generations at the same age, based on blood markers.

ScienceAlert - The study found that people born in the UK between 1965 and 1974 had a 23 percent higher standardized PhenoAge-defined age gap than those born between 1950 and 1954.

ScienceAlert - The 1990 to 1999 cohort in the US had a 92 percent higher standardized age gap than those born between 1965 and 1969.

ScienceAlert - For every standard-deviation increase in age-gap score, the risk of early-onset solid cancers rose by 8 percent, with lung cancer risk increasing by 57 percent.

NY Post - The study indicates that younger generations are aging faster and have a higher risk of cancer than older generations at the same age.

WHERE:

ScienceAlert - The study analyzed data from the UK Biobank and the US All of Us research program.

WHEN:

ScienceAlert - The study analyzed blood markers from 154,169 adults in the UK Biobank, comparing those born in the early 1950s with those born in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

ScienceAlert - The study also included health data from 10,262 adults in the US, born either in the 1960s or 1990s.

WHY:

ScienceAlert - The findings may help explain the rise in certain cancers among younger generations, including lung, uterine, and gastrointestinal cancers.

ScienceAlert - The study aims to identify younger individuals at high cancer risk to focus on prevention and early-detection strategies.

HOW:

ScienceAlert - The researchers used PhenoAge, a measure of biological aging based on chronological age and nine blood biomarkers, to calculate an "age gap" score.

ScienceAlert - The study analyzed blood markers including CRP, glucose, creatinine, albumin, and white blood cell counts to assess biological aging.

(UPDATED June 24, 2026 17:46 UTC)

A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that younger generations, particularly Millennials and those born in the 1990s, are biologically older than earlier generations at the same age, based on blood markers. The research, which analyzed data from the UK Biobank and the US All of Us program, found that individuals born in the UK between 1965 and 1974 had a 23 percent higher age gap compared to those born in the early 1950s, while the 1990 to 1999 cohort in the US showed a staggering 92 percent higher age gap than those born in the late 1960s. These findings may help explain the increasing risk of certain cancers among younger generations, including lung, uterine, and gastrointestinal cancers, as the study aims to identify individuals at high risk for better prevention and early detection strategies.