Ok. We know stress isn’t good for us. Well here is some more evidence that stress really doesn’t do a body good, and this is bad news for a Life Extensionist! These papers came out in ’04, ’06, and’10, so understanding the dynamics of chronic stress is still a pretty new area. These findings should give a wake up to any chronically stressed individual – especially women, since they were the experimental subjects!

Here is a post on the CR Message Boards from Paul McGlothin about how stress can shorten telomeres! Here is the post! Read up! THANK YOU Paul for making us aware of these papers!

For those of you who want to cut straight to the research papers, here are their PubMed Links:

Accelerated telomere shortening
in response to life stress.

December, 2004 [FREE Article!!!] PMID: 15574496

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 highest levels of perceived stress have telomeres shorter on average by the equivalent of at least one decade of additional aging compared to low stress women.

Cell aging in relation to stress arousal and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

April 2006 [Abstract Only for Free] PMID:16298085

Here we examine whether telomere length and telomerase in leukocytes are associated with physiological signs of stress arousal and CVD risk factors in 62 healthy women. Low telomerase activity in leukocytes was associated with exaggerated autonomic reactivity to acute mental stress and elevated nocturnal epinephrine. Further, low telomerase activity was associated with the major risk factors for CVD -smoking, poor lipid profile, high systolic blood pressure, high fasting glucose, greater abdominal adiposity-as well as to a composite Metabolic Syndrome variable. Telomere length was related only to elevated stress hormones (catecholamines and cortisol). Thus, we propose that low leukocyte telomerase constitutes an early marker of CVD risk, possibly preceding shortened telomeres, that results in part from chronic stress arousal.

Dynamics of telomerase activity
in response to acute psychological stress.

May 2010 [Abstract Only for Free] PMID:20018236

Telomerase activity plays an essential role in cell survival, by lengthening telomeres and promoting cell growth and longevity. It is now possible to quantify the low levels of telomerase activity in human leukocytes. Low basal telomerase activity has been related to chronic stress in people and to chronic glucocorticoid exposure in vitro. Here we test whether leukocyte telomerase activity changes under acute psychological stress…..These findings uncover novel relationships of dynamic telomerase activity with exposure to an acute stressor, and with two classic aspects of the stress response – perceived psychological stress and neuroendocrine (cortisol) responses to the stressor.

So Stressed…..

Also, I just started reading a book that y’all may be interested in. My Mother bought this for me, and I think she picked out a pretty good book! It’s called

“So Stressed:
The Ultimate Stress Relief Plan for Women”

by Stephanie McClellan M.D. and Beth Hamilton M.D.

I have only started it, but when I finish it I will put up a review in my book section!