research confirms chronic stress shortens human life span by damaging DNA
We've all heard the jokes about stress turning our hair grey, and everyone understands that stress feels uncomfortable and can cause short term health and psychological issues. However, there was never any conclusive proof that chronic stress could actually shorten your life span by accelerating the aging process until recently.
chronic stress damages DNA
New research indicates that chronic stress like the kind we experience in high stress occupations actually erodes and damages critical parts of our DNA over time. This damage and erosion can increase our odds of living a shorter life span. The study showed that those under chronic stress exhibited shortened telomeres. Telomeres are the protective edges that bind the ends of DNA strands together. The damage of these telomeres leads to errors in how the DNA instructs cells to behave, so their length is directly tied to our longevity.
