In some ways, the younger generation is older than its predecessors. Or at least that’s what a Study 2026 In natural medicine found. After analyzing data from 164,000 people in the UK and US, researchers found that millennials and Generation Z have a larger gap between their biological and chronological age than baby boomers. In chat with Cleveland ClinicDr. Sadiya Hussain, a family medicine presenter, explained the difference between the two terms, noting that “your chronological age — how long you’ve been alive — is not as strong an indicator of health as you might think.” “Your biological age is a more accurate measure of how quickly cells, tissues and organs age.”
Biological age is measured using several markers, including DNA methylation, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart rate, height, and weight. Because Millennials have a higher degree of biological age in some organs, they face an increased risk of developing lung cancer and colorectal cancer earlier.
It is worth noting that A Study 2025 In the journal Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, I found that millennials were twice as likely to develop 17 of the 34 most common types of cancer than baby boomers at any age. In addition, the Nature Medicine study found that the main causes of premature biological aging are diets lacking in nutrient-dense foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and an erratic sleep schedule. Talk to Men’s Health MagazineGeneticist Steve Horvath, Ph.D., explained that some basic lifestyle changes can reduce biological age by “just a few years,” not decades.
Studies have shown that the secret to slowing biological aging is simple
Chat with National Institutes of HealthDr. Daniel Belsky, who studies aging at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, shared one lifestyle change that can shorten the biological clock, saying: “Physical activity is the closest thing to a fountain of youth that we know of.” Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIA), similarly emphasized that regular exercise can greatly help slow down the biological clock.
Moreover, 2025 Research perspective The publication in the journal Aging noted that “planned, structured, and repetitive” exercise as well as cardio-focused exercise can aid biological aging. She also noted that one study found that sedentary middle-aged women experienced a two-year reduction in their biological age after aerobic and strength training for just eight weeks. Some studies have also found that regular exercise can help reduce the aging of vital organs (such as the heart and liver) as well as fatty tissue.
Not surprisingly, another essential lifestyle change that can help slow epigenetic aging is a nutrient-dense diet. Consultant oncologist Dr Andy Jaya said that while there are countless ways to get down Newsweek That a Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for biological aging. After detailing Foods you should stick to if you follow the Mediterranean dietIncluding vegetables, legumes, oily fish and olive oil, he pointed to clinical trials that showed this How following a Mediterranean lifestyle can help you live longer Reducing biological aging by one to three years within months. And if that wasn’t good enough already, The Mediterranean diet can also protect you against Alzheimer’s disease.
