Cancer is a debilitating disease in which abnormal cells form within the body, leading to noxious gene mutations that spread and fester.

Individuals with cancer may experience it in their heart, lungs, breasts, skin, or other parts of the body. To date, there is no cure for cancer; though catching it sooner rather than later can help facilitate more effective treatments.

For quite some time, cancer was regarded as an illness that impacts predominantly older individuals. Though recent years have seen an uptick in cases of younger people developing cancer.

Now, some medical researchers are sharing theories on what's driving this unfortunate turn of events.

This could explain why more young people are coming down with cancer

In many respects, aging goes hand-in-hand with cancer. That is why older people have been traditionally more likely to suffer this disease than their younger counterparts. As such, researchers believe "accelerated biological aging" may be a factor in people coming down with cancer during their prime years.

This theory emerges following the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis' review of key medical documents. These documents cover over 148,000 individuals between the ages of 37 - 54 and logged within the UK Biobank.

After examining these records, researchers found that certain blood-based markers (think mean cell volume, glucose, albumin, and more) are connected to biological age. As such, circumstances where individuals' biological and chronological ages fail to align generally constitute "accelerated aging."

During these reviews, there were more than 3,000 people facing cancer diagnoses before turning 55 years old. In the medical field, these instances are acknowledged as "early cancer" cases.

How to prevent accelerated aging

Given the aforementioned findings, it stands to reason that folks do not benefit from biological aging that exceeds their chronological development. Thankfully, people can take strategic steps to help their bodies remain in the best possible condition.

The following lifestyle habits can likely aid in preventing accelerated aging, therefore reducing the likelihood of a (premature) cancer diagnosis:

• Stop smoking
• Wear sunscreen outdoors to protect your skin from UV radiation
• Consume nutritious, balanced diets
• Reduce alcohol intake
• Stay physically active on a regular basis