What is described as an “exploratory study” that uses computer simulations to analyze blood samples from almost 150,000 people from the ages of 37 to 54 purports to show Generation Xers are biologically aging faster than the generation that preceded them, the Boomers.
Excerpt from science20
People are living better lives for longer than ever but an EXPLORATORY study using a computer simulation says there is reason for concern; people are getting cancer younger than ever.
The authors analyzed results of blood samples from 148,724 people ages 37 to 54 in the UK Biobank and focused on metrics ‘linked’ to aging, like albumin and glucose. Those nine values were put into the ‘mPhenoAge algorithm to estimate biological age and that age was compared to actual age.
There are limitations to their work:
1. Gen X has far better medical care than prior generations so cancer is detected earlier. Colon cancer may take 15 years to become a problem and in the past it wasn’t diagnosed until that point. Now unless you never go to the doctor after age 40 you have almost no chance of dying from it. Three or more polyps during a colonoscopy and they check frequently. That means diagnoses may be up a lot, but actual instances in the past are unknown.
2. The study was not cross-sectional, there were no inputs even from surveys, or longitudinal; it only involved one point in time.
3. People who take certain cancer drugs age faster so the correlation arrows may be all wrong.
4. When a study says ‘linked’, ‘correlated’, or ‘suggests’ it is not science and this used biological numbers that are only linked to aging and then used a computer model to estimate biological age – so that means there were two scientifically invalid methods in place.