July 11, 2012
World
Is anxiety
related to premature aging? A new study by
researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital
(BWH) shows that a common form of anxiety, known
as phobic anxiety, was associated with shorter
telomeres in middle-aged and older women. The
study suggests that phobic anxiety is a possible
risk factor for accelerated aging.
The study will be electronically published on
July 11, 2012 in PLoS ONE.
Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the ends
of chromosomes. They protect chromosomes from
deteriorating and guard the genetic information
at the ends of chromosomes during cell division.
Telomeres are considered markers of biological
or cellular aging. Shortened telomeres have been
linked to increased risk of cancers, heart
disease, dementia and mortality.
In this large, cross-sectional study,
researchers had obtained blood samples from
5,243 women, age 42 to 69 years, who were
participants in the Nurses' Health Study. Using
the samples, the researchers analyzed telomere
lengths, as well as the participants' concurrent
self-reports regarding phobic symptoms on a
validated questionnaire.
Having a high phobic anxiety level was
associated with significantly shorter telomere
lengths. The difference in telomere lengths for
women who were highly phobic vs. not was similar
to what was seen for an additional six years of
age.
"Many people wonder about whether—and how—stress
can make us age faster," said Olivia Okereke,
MD, MS, BWH Department of Psychiatry, study
author. "So, this study is notable for showing a
connection between a common form of
psychological stress—phobic anxiety—and a
plausible mechanism for premature aging.
However, this type of study design cannot prove
cause-and-effect or which problem came first—the
anxiety or shorter telomeres."
The findings pave the way for further
prospective investigations relating anxiety to
telomere length change.
This research was supported by a Harvard Medical
School Shore Fellowship award and grants from
the National Institutes of Health.
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed
nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical
School and a founding member of Partners
HealthCare. BWH has more than 3.5 million annual
patient visits, is the largest birthing center
in New England and employs nearly 15,000 people.
The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to
1832, and today that rich history in clinical
care is coupled with its national leadership in
patient care, quality improvement and patient
safety initiatives, and its dedication to
research, innovation, community engagement and
educating and training the next generation of
health care professionals. Through investigation
and discovery conducted at its Biomedical
Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an
international leader in basic, clinical and
translational research on human diseases,
involving nearly 1,000 physician-investigators
and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty
supported by nearly $625 million in funding. BWH
continually pushes the boundaries of medicine,
including building on its legacy in organ
transplantation by performing the first face
transplants in the U.S. in 2011. BWH is also
home to major landmark epidemiologic population
studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians'
Health Studies, OurGenes and the Women's Health
Initiative. For more information and resources,
please visit BWH's online newsroom.
