To fight against the effects of negative stress, it is important to follow a healthy lifestyle, according to results of a study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Stress aged cells faster, but a balanced diet, the daily practice of a sport and a life without tobacco counteract this phenomenon.
The University of California San Francisco researchers have followed healthy women for more than a 1 year to see if the main stressors that occurred during predict telomere shortening.
Telomeres prevent the DNA in our chromosomes be damaged. But with old age, the telomeres shorten, which is accompanied by an ageing of cells die faster.
The researchers also wanted to understand whether the adoption of healthy behaviours during this period mitigates these effects.
Stress is rapidly ageing cells
The 239 women and post-menopausal non-smoking women provided blood samples at the beginning and end of the study for the measurement of telomeres. Scientists have also considered all events stressful that occurred during the study.
Women who continued to have a healthy life in the study appear to have been protected when exposed to stress. However, women who have not practised for sport did not follow a balanced diet made rapidly ageing their cells. Indeed, their immune cells telomeres shortened more significantly for each major stressor occurred during the study.
Doctor beliefs – The negative effects of stress can be counteracted by a healthy life.
“The results of this research have implications for understanding the change in telomere length and to identify predictors of length of these changes,” concludes the researcher.
