Dr Bollmann, Skin Care Specialist, Anti-Aging Expert

Being a proponent of stress reduction for many years, I reached a conclusion that health could be broken down into 4 necessities: good nutritious diet, exercise, STRESS REDUCTION, and the spiritual belief of your choice. Pretty much every health recommendation can be summarized by these 4 things.

So I am always on the lookout for scientific studies showing the positive results in reducing stress. Recently I came across this information.

Telomeres are the endcaps on chromosomes, and telomeric shortening is thought to govern the number of times a cell can divide.  Telomeres seem to be affected by environmental and genetic factors, as well as newly identified considerations:

• Stress:   Researchers from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS; North Carolina, USA) assessed data collected in the Sister Study, involving 50,000 women, ages 35-74 years.  The team observed that: “Among women with both higher perceived stress and elevated levels of the stress hormone epinephrine, the difference in telomere length was equivalent to or greater than the effects of being obese, smoking or 10 years of aging."

• Obesity:   A separate group of researchers from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS; North Carolina, USA) observed that women with an overweight or obese body mass index (BMI) before or during their 30s that was maintained subsequently, had shorter telomeres than those who became overweight or obese after their 30s. This team comments that:  “Our results support the hypothesis that obesity accelerates the aging process.”

Not only do environmental and genetic factors contribute to disease risks and premature aging, but new considerations including stress and obesity warrant identification and early intervention.