Your stressful job is indeed aging you, study confirms
http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/27/12951646-your-stressful-job-is-indeed-aging-you-study-confirms?lite?ocid=twitter
Everybody knows too much stress and anxiety is bad for you. It dents the immune system, the cardiovascular system and may even contribute to cancer. Now it appears that one common source of stress -- our jobs -- could be having damaging effects on critical DNA in our cells. And that could lead to early aging, and the diseases and conditions that go along with it.
A study led by Kirsi Ahola of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health measured the length of DNA sections called telomeres and how the lengths varied in association with job stress. It found that people with the most job stress tended to have shorter telomeres.
That matters because telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes, serve as a kind of protective cap to the ropy strands, helping assure that the genetic instructions carried by genes on the chromosomes are accurately translated so cells get the right messages. Telomeres become shorter with age, oxidation and chemical insults. Often, when telomeres reach a critically short length, the cell dies in a process called apoptosis. Some cells don’t die. They become what scientists call “senescent.” They sputter along, making genetic errors and causing damage.
http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/27/12951646-your-stressful-job-is-indeed-aging-you-study-confirms?lite?ocid=twitter
Comments