Longevity & AgingTwo-Stage Aging Model Explains Why Cancer and Arthritis Strike Later in Life
Researchers from University College London and Queen Mary University of London have proposed a two-stage model of aging that reframes how age-related diseases develop. In the first stage, early-life events like infections, injuries, or genetic mutations leave hidden damage in the body. In the second stage, late-life changes in gene activity weaken the body's ability to suppress that damage, allowing diseases like cancer, osteoarthritis, and shingles to emerge. Published in the journal Aging-US, this review combines evolutionary biology with modern biomedical research. The model suggests that what looks like sudden illness in older adults may actually be the delayed consequence of damage accumulated decades earlier, opening new possibilities for earlier intervention and prevention strategies.
