Experts say stress and hormones are the root cause of aging

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Aging is related to faulty stress responses and hormonal changes rather than the passage of time, according to a new review of the evidence.
Some people seem to age more quickly than others. There's much interest in what triggers the aging process and, according to stress expert Dr Bruce McEwen of The Rockefeller University, there is more to it than just the passage of time. Reviewing recent scientific evidence, he suggests that chronic stress may trigger aging, through affecting the activity of an enzyme called telomerase. This is the molecule that helps govern how many times an individual cell divides. At each cell division, the telomeres - the 'tips' of the DNA molecule in the cell - get a little shorter. Eventually, they reach a critical point beyond which they can't reduce any more - and the cell dies. Telomerase is involved in this shortening process and is therefore crucially related to aging.

We can adapt to stress but when we do not, accelerated aging can result and this has been seen in caregiver situations and among those with diabetes or obesity. Chronic stress can alter the way the brain responds but, according to Dr McEwen, this can be modified by a healthy lifestyle. Another approach to understanding aging comes from Dr Elissa Epel of the University of California who says that the balance between tissue building hormones (such as testosterone and estrogen) and catabolic hormones, like cortisol, changes over time. Cortisol, produced in response to stress, can reduce bone density and shift fat distribution, promoting age-related diseases. But exercise and positive ways of handling stress can offset these changes and so help people age in a healthier way.

Source
American Psychological Association meeting 11th August 2006

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