Aging Has An Unexpected Effect On Our Risk Of Cancer (But Only After You Turn 80)

No matter how many candles you put on your birthday cake, your body goes through a certain amount of wear and tear depending on how well you take care of yourself. The aging process isn’t linear, so you might notice bigger accelerations in aging around age 45 and 60, according to a 2024 article in Nature Aging.

Around age 60, your risk factors for many diseases increase, particularly cancer. The National Cancer Institute says that half the cancer cases in the United States occur after age 66. Half of breast cancer cases are in women aged 62 and older.

However, your risk of cancer begins to decline in your 80s, and a 2024 study in Nature found that it might have to do with a type of protein found in aging stem cells. The protein, NUPR1, causes stem cells to respond as if they were low in iron. This iron deficiency response reduces the cells’ ability to regenerate and form tumors.

The study used aging mice genetically modified with lung cancer to study how the cells behaved as they aged. The researchers noticed that the aging mice produced more NUPR1 protein as they aged. As a result, the cells lose their regenerative capacity, which leads to fewer tumors. When the researchers reduced the NUPR1 protein in the cells, the regeneration process increased. Similarly, the stem cells regained their ability to regenerate when supplemented with iron. That means cancer could develop again.

Many cancer treatments trigger a programmed death of cancer cells called apoptosis. Iron plays a role in another possible cancer treatment called ferroptosis. Ferroptosis occurs when the membranes of a cell collapse after a toxic buildup of damaged fat molecules; iron helps drive this process. However, your cells become more resistant to this cancer-killing process as you age, which is why your risk of cancer increases with age. Yet at a certain point, your cells begin to produce more of the NUPR1 protein, which results in a lower cancer risk.

Changes in your gut microbiome, chronic inflammation, and DNA changes occur as you age, and these factors also increase your risk of cancer, according to a 2024 review in Molecular Cancer. However, your biological age is much different from your chronological age, even on a cellular level. In other words, your cells don’t have a specific expiration date. Instead, you can slow or hasten the aging of your cells (and your risk of many cancers and other diseases) by your lifestyle.

A diet rich in whole foods, particularly from plants, can reduce biological aging by maintaining the health of your gut microbiome and ensuring you’re getting enough nutrients. Highly processed foods increase your risk of obesity, disrupt your gut health, and can accelerate aging. Getting enough exercise not only lowers your biological age but also lowers your risk of age-related conditions such as sarcopenia and osteoarthritis. Toxins such as alcohol, smoking, environmental pollutants, and sun exposure increase your risk of cancer-causing genetic mutations. Your mental and emotional health also plays a role in reducing your biological age and reducing your risk of some diseases such as cancer.