Study finds adults are aging faster. How to slow the process.

NEW YORK -- Younger adults are aging faster than ever, according to a new study from the U.K.

To make matters worse, researchers also found a connection between accelerated aging and the early onset of cancers.

Dr. Nidhi Kumar is On Call for CBS New York to discuss the study and what can be done to slow the clock down. The researchers found people who are born after 1965 face an increased risk of accelerated aging and early onset cancers -- about a 4% increased risk of early onset lung cancer, 20% increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer and 35% risk of uterine cancer.

"[The study] didn't address the why, [but] I think we can speculate a little. Life has become a lot more stressful. While technology has made us more efficient, it really does add a lot of stress to our lives. Our diet, environmental factors, all of it together is really aging us," Dr. Kumar explained.

So what is the difference between chronological and biological age? 

"Chronological aging is how many birthday parties have you had? Really, how old are you? While biological age is really what your cellular age is. What is your general health, how well are you actually aging on the cellular level? And for many people, they don't match up," said Dr. Kumar. 

Can age be reversed?

"The answer is yes, but we're not exactly there yet in medicine. There is a $60 billion anti-aging industry, but that's more superficial -- it will give you the appearance of looking younger. But true reverse aging happens on the cellular level, and there is research now for technologies and medications looking at changing the gut microbiome, changing your hormones and even changing the activation of certain genes to help us anti-age. So it's definitely something that's on the horizon," Dr. Kumar said.

Another study found women's biological age increases about two years with every pregnancy. 

"The good part with that is there is some regression in the postpartum period. What this means for long term mortality and health of women was not addressed in the study, and there needs to be more studies done looking at that," said Dr. Kumar. "We do have an issue with maternal health in our country, and this study just emphasizes how important it is to be healthy before you get pregnant and really pay attention to the health of young mothers."

With so many anti-aging products on the market, which ones are scientifically backed to work? Dr. Kumar recommends getting more sleep, wearing sunblock, exercising with strength training, avoiding smoking, drinking and ultra processed foods that lead to inflammation, and trying mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques.