Why Are Young People Aging Faster Than Older Generations?

Are young people aging faster? Why is cancer striking earlier and earlier? 

Is may be because we took iodine out from bread and instead introduced chemicals that pull the little iodine we have in our bodies out of the body...

Key Highlights: Top Reasons for the Rapid Aging:

• Fluoride – a neurotoxin, causes calcification.               
• Chlorine – causes toxic byproducts.
• Bromine - most importantly we contaminated more and more products with this over time.
• Accumulated Heavy Metals like Aluminum, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, etc. - which impair many enzyme systems and repair pathways, and are hard to remove.
• Accumulated synthetic pharmaceuticals - which can create potent neurotoxic, cytotoxic, and genotoxic combinations.  
• Endocrine disrupting chemicals from microplastics and pesticide residues.

Why Are Young People Aging Faster Than Older Generations?

In the era of social media and rapid technological advances, it's no surprise that young people are compared to different generations, often in humorous or trivial ways. Yet, a more concerning trend has emerged: which is that Generation Z is aging worse than previous generations. This isn't just a social media quip; scientific research now suggests that younger generations may indeed be experiencing accelerated biological aging. But why is this happening? Let's dissect some potential factors.

The Early Onset of Cancer

Cancer diagnoses in individuals under 50 have been rising dramatically since the mid-20th century. According to research presented at an international cancer conference, young people diagnosed with cancers such as lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine types show signs of accelerated aging. Their bodies' biological age significantly outpaces their actual age, suggesting a degree of wear and tear typically expected in older individuals [1].

This pattern of early-onset cancer is concerning because it implies that Gen Z may face a higher risk of developing life-threatening diseases earlier than previous generations. The data indicates that each successive generation born after 1965 has an elevated risk, pointing to factors beyond genetic predisposition, like lifestyle, diet, and environmental exposures [2].

The Role of Environmental Toxins

One overlooked factor might be the decreased intake of iodine and the concurrent rise in harmful environmental chemicals. Iodine is a crucial nutrient, historically abundant in bread, but is now often displaced by chemicals such as fluoride, chloride, and bromine. These chemicals are pervasive in our environment and can displace iodine from the body, contributing to various health issues [3].

Furthermore, the compounding presence of synthetic chemicals in food, air, and water supplies amplifies the risks. Microplastics, pesticides, and pharmaceutical residues in these mediums are all endocrine disruptors, capable of causing long-term harm and rapid aging [4].

Endocrine Disruptors and Lifestyle Factors

Additionally, endocrine disruptors play a significant role. These are chemicals that interfere with hormonal balance, affecting growth, development, and metabolism. Younger generations face a higher exposure rate to these disruptors due to increased consumption of processed foods laden with additives and preservatives [5].

Lifestyle factors like poor diet and stress contribute to accelerated aging. Processed foods high in fats, sugars, and salts, prevalent in Western diets, have been linked to elevated risks of premature aging and diseases [6]. Stress, often exacerbated by socioeconomic pressures and rapid technological changes, further accelerates biological aging by affecting hormone levels and cellular health.

Implications for Health

Research indicates that physiological impairments such as myopenia and frailty, commonly associated with high-intensity treatments, can independently contribute to accelerated epigenetic aging. However, factors beyond medical treatments, such as health behaviors and social determinants, also significantly impact aging [7]. An alarming increase in lifestyle-related diseases reinforces the concern. Heart attacks among individuals under 40 have surged by 38% in the past decade, while type 2 diabetes diagnoses in young people have also climbed sharply [8]. These conditions are indicative of broader lifestyle and environmental challenges that younger generations must contend with. For example, increased consumption of seed oils, acrylamide-containing food, and damaged cholesterol and other lipids and proteins, create an increasingly burdensome amount of damage throughout the body. 

Future Directions

Generation Z is arguably facing a unique set of health challenges that previous generations did not encounter at the same scale. However, studies are also showing that even the Baby Boomers, which are the largest generation, are aging more poorly than the generation before them (9).

There's an urgent need to further investigate the causes and devise interventions that can create accelerated aging in apparently all generations, and to develop new and innovative nutritional interventions that address the unique challenges of the modern world. Individuals should focus on holistic health strategies that reduce environmental toxins, promote healthy lifestyles, and reduce stress, particularly among young people. Greater regulation of harmful chemicals, such as that done in the EU and other countries, as well as an increased awareness of the food supply and many hidden but dangerous choices out there, will be highly beneficial.

In conclusion, while the social media buzz may have sparked the conversation, scientific inquiries are beginning to figure out why young generations might be aging faster biologically. We all need to do our best to safeguard the well-being of future generations by choosing organic, farm-raised produce, and the most ethically-sourced animals products, while avoiding synthetic materials for all food storage and handling. 

References

1. International Cancer Conference Research on Early-Onset Cancers. Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis study on Biological Aging.

2. Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports on Iodine displacement by Fluoride, Chloride, and Bromine.

3. Scientific American article on the impact of synthetic chemicals on human health.

4. National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies on Endocrine Disruptors.

5. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health research on Processed Foods and Health.

6. University of Bristol research on Myopenia and Epigenetic Aging.

7. NHS data on Heart Attacks and Type 2 Diabetes trends among young people.

8. Gehle, S. C., Kleissler, D., Heiling, H., Deal, A., Xu, Z., Ayer Miller, V. L., ... & Smitherman, A. B. (2023). Accelerated epigenetic aging and myopenia in young adult cancer survivors. Cancer Medicine, 12(11), 12149-12160.

9. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/07/baby-boomers-living-longer-but-are-in-worse-health-than-previous-generations