We all know about the various factors that contribute to the aging process. An unhealthy diet and lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking and lack of exercise and sleep can all add years to your age. Premature aging can cause an early onset of diseases and mental illnesses along with physical signs of old age that include wrinkles and age spots on the skin, thinning and graying hair, and brittle bones to name just a few. New research has also indicated another factor that adds to the aging process - anxiety.
A recent study by researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA suggests that phobic anxiety can increase the risk of premature aging. Phobic anxiety includes stress and intense fear about commonplace circumstances such as heights, enclosed spaces, and crowds. Such phobias along with anxiety attacks can contribute to the aging process. The study used the blood samples from over five thousand women aged between 42 and 69 years of age. These participants were taking part in the Nurse's Health Study - a long running investigation into different facets of women's health that started its data collection since 1976. Apart from studying reports of blood samples from this cross-sectional group, the participants were also given a detailed questionnaire that measured the level of phobic symptoms and disorders. Researchers came to the conclusion that the telomere length of the blood cells in phobic women was shorter than in their non-phobic counterparts. The study noted that women with severe cases of anxiety had a telomere length that was 0.09 units below the average length. Telomeres are the bits of DNA protein found at the end of chromosomes that protect their genetic data and prevent them from deterioration. The length of telomeres has long since been linked with increased risk levels of heart disease, mental illness and death. As a result of this study, shorter telomere levels may now be linked with the aging process and according to the study can add up to six years to your age. The bigger worry is that shorter telomere length is not reversible. Keeping in mind that phobic anxiety is a treatable condition, researchers hope that the results of this study encourage people to take the necessary steps to identify and treat the problem as early as possible.
Many experts regard this study as a notable addition to the theory that psychological stress adds to the aging process. However, there are equal amounts of people who are skeptical about generalizing these findings. They insist that there is no direct cause and effect link established by the study and that at the most it indicates a possible connection but not a definite one. As one expert in the field states, "this study fails to prove which problem came first - the anxiety or shorter telomeres." What is agreed on however is that the results of this study warrant further investigation into what causes the aging process and how stress can affect a person's lifespan.
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