Diet, environmental exposures and chronic stress may interfere with processes involved in cellular health and biological aging, according to functional medicine expert Dr. Will Cole. He says the resulting problems may contribute to symptoms people often dismiss before more serious health issues emerge.

Cole, who is based in Pennsylvania, is the coauthor of the upcoming book "Heal Your Cells." He believes modern lifestyle factors may contribute to cellular dysfunction, potentially influencing inflammation, sleep and other processes connected to overall health.

"Our genetics haven't changed in thousands of years, but our world has changed dramatically in such a finite period of time," Cole told Fox News Digital. "It’s the foods we're eating or not eating, it's environmental toxins that were never on the landscape before, it’s stress and trauma."

Together, Cole said, these pressures may contribute to what he describes as an "accelerated aging problem." Under that concept, a person’s biological age may differ from their chronological age.

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"Many people in their 20s, 30s and 40s have the cells of a senior citizen," he said. "That's common, [but] not normal."

Cellular health can influence how a person ages, according to Cole. However, people may normalize persistent symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog rather than discussing them with a health professional, even though those symptoms can stem from a range of medical, lifestyle and mental health factors.

In some cases, Cole said, changes associated with cellular dysfunction may begin years before a person receives a medical diagnosis. Yet people frequently dismiss those early symptoms or continue pushing through them.

Cole identified three major areas that he said can interfere with cellular communication and create what he calls "cellular noise." Those areas involve food and eating patterns, environmental exposures, and chronic stress or unresolved trauma.

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Food is the first potential disruptor, according to Cole, particularly foods he considers inflammatory. He described the concern as eating foods that "don’t love the human body back."

Eating patterns may also matter, he said. Failing to maintain a consistent eating window and instead eating across long portions of the day, without allowing time to digest and fast, can disrupt cellular balance, according to Cole.

Environmental exposures are another potential concern. Cole cited pesticides, herbicides and PFAS, which are sometimes called "forever chemicals," although experts say the effects of an exposure depend on the substance, dose and duration of contact.

Cole also pointed to infectious pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, along with exposure to mold, as factors that may affect health. Meanwhile, evening exposure to light enriched with blue wavelengths can interfere with circadian timing for some people.

A consistent schedule for sleeping and waking, along with daytime light exposure, may support healthy sleep and cellular health, Cole added. He also identified chronic stress, unresolved trauma and a lack of social or spiritual connection as factors that could be associated with more cellular noise.

Some observational research has linked religious or spiritual involvement with lower levels of certain inflammatory markers and better health outcomes. However, those studies cannot establish that faith itself causes those effects.

"The research shows that people who have a faith walk in their life tend to live longer, healthier, more youthful, vibrant lives," Cole said. He also asked, "What's your relationship with God and how does that show up in the cells on a somatic level?"

Cole said similar benefits may be found through any belief system or community that "shifts your state," as well as through a connection with nature. His broader point is that modern sources of stress may affect the body in ways that are not immediately visible.

"The cell becomes confused and doesn't know how to function well and doesn't know how [to] repair itself," Cole said. "We just need to give our body a fighting chance to hear through the noise."

Cole added that addressing physical, emotional and spiritual well being may help reduce what he calls "epigenetic noise." His argument centers on recognizing the everyday pressures that may disrupt cellular communication rather than simply dismissing persistent symptoms.

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