Aging is not a disease, and the biology of ageing, which varies between individuals. Telomeres play a central role in cell fate and ageing by adjusting the cellular response to stress and growth stimulation on the basis of previous cell divisions and DNA damage. At least a few hundred nucleotides of telomere repeats must “cap” each chromosome end to avoid activation of DNA repair pathways. Repair of critically short or “uncapped” telomeres by telomerase or recombination is limited in most somatic cells and apoptosis or cellular senescence is triggered when too many “uncapped” telomeres accumulate. The chance of the latter increases as the average telomere length decreases. The average telomere length is set and maintained in cells of the germline, which typically express high levels of telomerase. In somatic cells, telomere length is very heterogeneous but typically declines with age, posing a barrier to tumor growth but also contributing to loss of cells with age.
Is anxiety related to premature ageing? A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) shows that a common form of anxiety, known as phobic anxiety, was associated with shorter telomeres in middle-aged and older women. The study suggests that phobic anxiety is a possible risk factor for accelerated aging.
The study was electronically published in PLoS ONE.
Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes. They protect chromosomes from deteriorating and guard the genetic information at the ends of chromosomes during cell division. Telomeres are considered markers of biological or cellular aging. Shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and mortality.
In this large, cross-sectional study, researchers had obtained blood samples from 5,243 women, age 42 to 69 years, who were participants in the Nurses’ Health Study. Using the samples, the researchers analyzed telomere lengths, as well as the participants’ concurrent self-reports regarding phobic symptoms on a validated questionnaire.
Having a high phobic anxiety level was associated with significantly shorter telomere lengths. The difference in telomere lengths for women who were highly phobic vs. not was similar to what was seen for an additional six years of age.
“Many people wonder about whether – and how – stress can make us age faster,” said Olivia Okereke, MD, MS, BWH Department of Psychiatry, study author. “So, this study is notable for showing a connection between a common form of psychological stress – phobic anxiety – and a plausible mechanism for premature aging. However, this type of study design cannot prove cause-and-effect or which problem came first – the anxiety or shorter telomeres.”
The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change.
It has been discovered that the length of a biological marker is linked to respiratory infection in generally healthy adults. The biological marker is the length of the telomere, which is a structure at the end of a chromosome.