How is emotional stress related to the length of telomeres?
-
Dr. Dean Ornish answered:As your telomeres get shorter, your life gets shorter.
Chronic emotional stress may cause your cells to age more quickly. My colleagues Drs. Elissa Epel and Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, conducted a pioneering study of mothers who were caring for a child with a chronic illness. Using biochemical techniques, they studied their telomeres as well as telomerase, your natural enzyme that repairs and lengthens damaged telomeres, which are also vital for maintenance of immune-system cells.
They found that the longer the stress, and the more stress the women reported, the shorter their telomere length and the lower their telomerase level. Women with the highest levels of perceived stress had telomeres shorter, on average, by the equivalent of at least one decade of additional aging compared to low-stress women.
Find out more about this book: The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer,...Helpful? 1 person found this helpful
As your telomeres get shorter, your life gets shorter. Chronic emotional stress may cause your cells to age more quickly. My colleagues Drs. Elissa Epel and Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine,... More
