Can Severe Emotional Distress Speed Up Aging by Shortening Telomeres?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the potential relationship between severe emotional distress and the aging process, specifically focusing on the role of telomeres in this context. Participants explore various physiological mechanisms that may link stress to aging, as well as the broader implications of these findings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference research suggesting that severe emotional distress, such as divorce or caregiving, may lead to telomere shortening, potentially accelerating aging.
  • One participant questions the mechanism, suggesting that stress might cause improper protein production, indicating a lack of clarity on the physiological changes associated with stress and DNA damage.
  • Another participant raises the idea that there are various habits and lifestyle differences between stressed and non-stressed individuals that could contribute to aging, emphasizing the need for further exploration beyond correlation.
  • A participant mentions that the theory linking telomere shortening to aging is not widely accepted, indicating skepticism about its validity.
  • Another participant elaborates that while telomere shortening correlates with age, the aging phenotype may be more closely related to accumulated DNA damage, oxidative stress, and loss of genomic methylation, suggesting a complex interplay of factors involved in aging.
  • There is a mention of Werner syndrome as an example of premature aging due to DNA damage repair loss, which some participants find relevant to the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the validity of the telomere shortening theory as a basis for aging, with some supporting the idea and others contesting it. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact mechanisms linking emotional distress and aging.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of aging, noting that multiple factors, including DNA damage repair capabilities and lifestyle differences, may influence the relationship between stress and aging. There are also references to specific conditions like Werner syndrome that illustrate the nuances of this topic.

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A team of researchers led by Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, has found that severe emotional distress -- like a divorce or caring for an ill parent -- may speed up the aging process by shortening the life of telomeres. Telomeres are those bits of DNA found at the tip of each cell's chromosomes. [continued]
http://www.soundmedicine.iu.edu/segment.php4?seg=471

full article
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/1/27

better
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/101/49/17312
 
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I thought that strss caused improper protein production, an that was why. :confused:

or maybe I don't know anything
 
Do they anywere speculate on what physiological changes associated with stress can cause DNA/dmg, thus far its correlation right, there's probably a lot of habbits that differ between a stressed and a non stressed person that can contribute to aging.
 
This might help those who have to deal with a death or divorce.

Art of Saying Goodbye: How to Survive the Loss of a Love
Arthur Samuels, MD

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In The Art of Saying Goodbye, Dr. Arthur Samuels, a psychiatrist with over forty years of clinical experience, places grief in a new light, as a measure of how well we have lived and how deeply we’ve loved. Through his gentle guidance, you’ll learn to transform your loss, using the experience as a rite of passage. The Art of Saying Goodbye encourages you to free yourself from the past, accept the impermanence of the present, and embrace the future—ultimately savoring the moment, the only time you can be really alive.

"Please listen to Dr. Samuels. He practices what he says. That is why all of us can profit from his insight and experience. If you bring your body and experience to read this book, it’ll become a source of tremendous help." —Thich Nhat Hanh, author, poet, and Buddhist Master

Similar stress occurs when one looses a job, or otherwise is forced into a 'life changing situation'.

It can help for one to open up to others, particularly one's friends, who can offer support.
 
From what I've heard, the telomere shortening as the basis of the aging phenomenon is not a generally accepted theory.
 
It's not, telomere shortening just correlates with age, cells drop into a scenesence like arrest before the get too short. As far as I can remember the aging phenotype has to do with accumulating DNA damage during life (this is also apparent from people suffering from werner syndrome which display premature aging due to loss of the werner protein which is required for DNA damage repair) oxidative stress and the sort. Also loss of genomic methylation is supposed to play a role but there are likely to be more factors. As I read the literature about it it probably starts with loss of the capability to repair damage in general which probably starts somewhere around your 30's. The specific changes that lead to this loss represent the holy grail for many scientists.
 

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