Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress

Numerous studies demonstrate links between chronic stress and indices of poor health, including risk factors for cardiovascular disease and poorer immune function. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms of how stress gets "under the skin" remain elusive. We investigated the hypothesis that stress impacts health by modulating the rate of cellular aging. Here we provide evidence that psychological stress--both perceived stress and chronicity of stress--is significantly associated with higher oxidative stress, lower telomerase activity, and shorter telomere length, which are known determinants of cell senescence and longevity, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy premenopausal women. Women with the…

• BW
  Burroughs Wellcome Fund
• JD
  John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

  Award: AI48995
• DF
  Dana Foundation

  Award: AI48995
• NA
  National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: CA77839, GM15431, AI48995
• UO
  University of California, San Francisco
• NI
  National Institute of Mental Health