People with a greater burden of stress age faster

Stress was once considered the disease of the century, alongside anxiety and depression. No wonder, as many serious symptoms can derive from a stressful and worry-filled routine.

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It is worth remembering that stressed people are more susceptible to developing severe heart disease, cancer and complications that can arise from other diseases. Even the flu, colds and Covid-19 are more aggressive in people with a high level of stress in the body.

Research proves the harm that stress can cause

Several studies have already proven that stress can be a real poison for human health. One of them was developed at the University of Southern California and was just published on June 13th. The text is available in the academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

The data obtained reveal that it is common for a stressed individual to age faster than other people. In fact, what happens is that the organism is deconstructed in such a way that the immunological and organic fragility of an adult can be compared to that of an elderly person with compromised health.

Research used information from more than 5,700 people

To arrive at the results, the researchers used a database of more than 5,700 adults who were over 50 years old. All of them were submitted to a questionnaire that revealed situations of social stress, chronic stress and discrimination throughout their lives.

Blood samples from participants also subsidized the US studies. After collecting the data, the test results were compared to blood tests.

As a result, it was found that those patients who had an “older” immunological profile were exactly those who experienced more stressful situations.

“In this study, after statistically controlling for poor diet and lack of exercise, the connection between stress and accelerated immune aging was not as strong. What this means is that people who experience more stress tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits, partly explaining why they have faster immune aging.”