Depression and stress provoke early aging in women
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In a recent study, experts found that the body of girls who are under stress and live in a family where one member has suffered from depression in the past is aging more quickly. The connection between depressive disorders, stress and premature aging of an organism has already been repeatedly proved by scientists.
Aging shortened telomeres, which are located on the ends of chromosomes, contribute to aging. With age, telomeres are shortened, which leads to aging of the body. As experts have shown, the faster the telomeres shorten, the faster the organism ages and death begins.
The process of shortening telomeres can accelerate due to oxidative stress and other negative processes that damage the structure of DNA. At this stage, researchers can not name the exact cause of the accelerated aging process in some individuals. According to specialists, this can be caused by stress, depressive disorders or a short telomere length.
In the course of studies in which specialists tried to determine the cause of aging, about 100 girls aged 10 to 14 years were analyzed.
No signs of depressions were found among the participants in the experiment, however, each of them was at risk, since one of the members of the family suffered from depressive disorders in the past. In addition, the specialists created a control group.
Each participant in the experiment was asked to undergo stress testing, and experts also asked the girls about the stressful situations that occurred in their lives.
Scientists measured the level of hydrocortisone in the girls' body, one of the important catabolic hormones that is produced in response to stress. The level of the hormone was measured before and after the passage of the girls' stress test.
As a result, experts found that twelve-year-old girls, who had an increased risk of developing depression, telomeres were shortened (equivalent to six goals). In all likelihood, a small length of telomeres precedes the development of depressive disorders. Also, in this category of adolescents, scientists determined a higher reactivity of hydrocortisone in response to stress tests, which, most likely, leads to early aging of the body.
As other studies have shown, the use of carbonated beverages not only provokes obesity, but also accelerates the aging of cells.
As already mentioned, life expectancy depends on the length of telomeres. At the University of California, more than five thousand volunteers from 20 to 65 years old who were surveyed in 1999-2002 on health were examined. All participants of the study did not suffer from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Experts in the course of the experiment measured the length of telomeres of volunteers and found out that the length of telomeres is less for that category of people who consumed a large quantity of carbonated drinks. Scientists noted that the use of 0.5 liter of soda every day adds to the cells 4.6 years, which can be compared with the action of nicotine on the body of the smoker.
On average, the same number of years prolonged the life of the cells systematic training.
Scientists also noted that short telomeres increase the risk of developing diabetes, certain cancers and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
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