Scientists have found specific genetic variants which may explain why some people age earlier than others and say their findings have important implications for understanding cancer and age-related diseases.

According to Reuters, Dutch and British researchers analyzed more than 500,000 genetic variations from human gene maps and found that people with particular variants near a gene called TERC were likely to be biologically older by 3 to 4 years.

In a study published in the Nature Genetics journal, the scientists explained that there are two forms of aging -- chronological aging, counted in years, and biological aging, in which the cells of some people are older, or younger, than their chronological age.

The researchers studied structures called telomeres -- protective caps on the ends of chromosomes whose length is associated with cell aging.