Roundup: Faster ‘Biological Aging’ Linked to Rising Cancer Rates in Younger Adults; and More News

Faster Biological Aging May Help Explain Rising Cancer Rates in Younger Adults

Cancer has long been considered a disease that mainly affects older adults. However, rates of several cancers are increasing among younger people, prompting researchers to investigate this surprising trend. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that faster biological aging may be part of the answer.

The research, published in Nature Medicine, found that younger generations appear to be aging biologically faster than previous generations. The study also linked this accelerated aging to a higher risk of developing cancer before age 55, a group known as early-onset cancers.

What Is Biological Aging?

Biological aging refers to how old a person's body appears based on measures of health and function, rather than the number of years they have lived. This differs from chronological age, which is a person's actual age.

Researchers looked at the difference between biological age and chronological age, sometimes called the “age gap.” A larger age gap means the body appears older than expected for a person's age.

The study found that people born more recently tended to have larger age gaps than those born in earlier decades. This trend was seen in large groups of participants from both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Higher Aging Measures Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

The research analyzed health data from more than 154,000 adults in the UK Biobank and more than 10,000 participants in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program.

Researchers found that higher levels of biological aging were associated with an increased risk of early-onset solid tumors, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers.

People with the highest levels of biological aging had a 15 percent greater risk of developing early-onset solid cancers compared with those with the lowest levels, even after accounting for inherited genetic risk factors.

Aging in Specific Body Systems Matters

The study also examined aging within individual organs and body systems.

One notable finding was that an immune system that appeared biologically older than expected was associated with a higher risk of early-onset lung cancer. The immune system helps the body fight infections and identify abnormal cells, including cancer cells.

Researchers also found that biologically older fat tissue was linked to a higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer, which affects the colon and rectum.

What Could Be Driving Faster Aging?

Scientists do not yet know exactly why younger generations appear to be aging faster biologically. Previous research has identified several factors that may contribute, including obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, alcohol use, and metabolic health problems.

Experts say it is likely that multiple lifestyle and environmental factors work together to influence aging and cancer risk.

Researchers emphasize that the findings do not prove that accelerated aging directly causes cancer. However, measuring biological aging may eventually help identify people at higher risk while they are still healthy.

Most Sunscreen Content on TikTok Is Accurate, but Misinformation Gets More Attention

A new study published in PLOS Digital Health suggests that sunscreen misinformation is not as widespread on TikTok as many people fear. However, the small amount of misleading content that does exist appears to attract significantly more engagement from users.

Researchers analyzed 971 of the most-viewed TikTok videos associated with five popular sunscreen-related hashtags: #sunscreen, #sunscreenviral, #spf, #sunscreenreview, and #sunprotection. Together, these videos had generated more than 2.4 billion views.

The findings showed that the overwhelming majority of videos—86.8 percent—promoted sunscreen use. Creators commonly highlighted sunscreen’s role in preventing skin damage, reducing acne, slowing visible signs of aging, and lowering the risk of skin cancer.

Misinformation Is Limited but Highly Engaging

Only 6 percent of videos contained criticism of sunscreen. Even fewer included claims that sunscreen is harmful (1.5 percent) or that it prevents health benefits from sun exposure, such as vitamin D production (1.2 percent). These types of claims are generally considered misinformation because they may discourage people from using an evidence-based method of protecting their skin.

Despite representing a small fraction of the content, videos focused solely on criticizing sunscreen received significantly more likes, shares, and comments than videos that only promoted sunscreen. Researchers found no significant difference in total views, but the higher engagement suggests that controversial or contrarian content may spark stronger reactions from audiences.

The authors noted that sunscreen misinformation may have a disproportionate influence not because there is a large amount of it, but because it resonates strongly with certain audiences and encourages interaction.

Why Sunscreen Misinformation Matters

The study comes amid growing concerns about health misinformation on social media. Public health experts have warned that inaccurate online claims can influence decisions about vaccines, nutrition, disease prevention, and other health behaviors. Sunscreen has become one recent target of misinformation, with some influencers claiming it is toxic or unnecessary.

Current scientific evidence does not support claims that approved sunscreen ingredients are harmful to human health. Experts note that both mineral sunscreens, which physically block ultraviolet (UV) rays, and chemical sunscreens, which absorb and neutralize UV radiation, are considered safe and effective when used as directed.

The Importance of Sun Protection

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and excessive exposure to UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds is a major risk factor. UV radiation is an invisible form of energy produced by the sun that can damage skin cells over time. Dermatologists and public health organizations recommend sunscreen, protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, and seeking shade as effective ways to reduce UV exposure.

Youth Tobacco Use Continues to Decline, but Flavored Vapes and Nicotine Pouches Remain a Concern

Fewer U.S. middle and high school students are using tobacco products than in recent years, according to new findings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Public health experts say the decline is encouraging but caution that flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches continue to attract young people and pose ongoing health concerns.

The survey found that about 2 million students—7.2 percent of middle and high school students—reported using at least one tobacco product during the previous 30 days. This marks continued progress, as overall tobacco use, cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use all declined between 2022 and 2025.

Health officials attribute much of this improvement to tobacco prevention efforts, including education campaigns, age restrictions, and federal, state and local tobacco control policies.

E-cigarettes Remain the Most Popular Tobacco Product

Despite the overall decline, e-cigarettes remain the tobacco product most commonly used by adolescents.

The survey found that 5.2 percent of middle and high school students—about 1.44 million young people—reported using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days. Among those who used them, more than one in four (27.5 percent) said they used them every day, while more than 40 percent reported vaping on at least 20 of the previous 30 days.

Daily nicotine use is especially concerning because nicotine is highly addictive. During adolescence, the brain is still developing, and nicotine exposure may affect learning, memory, attention and impulse control. Nicotine also increases heart rate and blood pressure, placing additional stress on the cardiovascular system.

Disposable e-cigarettes were the most commonly used devices, accounting for about two-thirds of youth vaping.

Flavors Continue to Drive Youth Use

The FDA survey found that flavored products remain a major reason young people use e-cigarettes.

Nearly 90 percent of youth who reported vaping used flavored products. Fruit flavors were the most popular, followed by candy, desserts and other sweet flavors, mint and menthol. More than half also reported using products labeled with "ice" or "iced" flavors.

Public health organizations, including the American Heart Association, say flavors can make nicotine products more appealing to adolescents and may encourage experimentation that leads to addiction.

Although many people view vaping as safer than smoking traditional cigarettes, e-cigarette aerosol is not simply harmless water vapor. It can contain nicotine as well as potentially harmful chemicals, including heavy metals and compounds such as formaldehyde that may damage the lungs and cardiovascular system.

Nicotine Pouches are Gaining Attention

Nicotine pouches—small, tobacco-free packets placed between the gum and lip—were the second most commonly used nicotine product among youth.

The survey found that 1.7 percent of students, or about 460,000 young people, reported current use. Nearly one in six users reported daily use, while about one in four used nicotine pouches on at least 20 of the previous 30 days.

More than 90 percent of youth pouch users reported choosing flavored products, with mint being the most popular flavor, followed by fruit. Unlike chewing tobacco, nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaf. However, they still deliver nicotine, making them addictive and potentially harmful for adolescents.

Progress Worth Protecting

Public health experts say the continued decline in youth tobacco use is encouraging but stress that prevention efforts must continue. They recommend keeping tobacco and nicotine products out of the hands of young people through education, enforcement of age restrictions, careful review of new products before they reach the market, and support for people trying to quit nicotine.