Chronic Stress Compromises Longevity

Previous studies on lab animal models suggest that when the longevity factor klotho is disrupted, it promotes symptoms of aging, such as hardening of the arteries and the loss of muscle and bone; conversely, when klotho is made more abundant, the animals live longer.  Aric Prather, from the University of California/San Francisco (UCSF; California, USA), and colleagues studied 90 high-stress female caregivers and 88 low-stress controls, most of whom were in their 30s and 40s and otherwise healthy. The researchers observed klotho to decline among the high-stress women, whereas the low-stress women did not show a significant reduction in klotho with aging.  Further.  The investigators rs found that the women in their study with clinically significant depressive symptoms had even lower levels of klotho in their blood, as compared to those who were under stress but not experiencing such symptoms.  The study authors submit that: “these findings have important implications for understanding the plasticity of the aging process and may represent a therapeutic target for mitigating the deleterious effects of chronic psychological stress on health and well-being.”