Stress and Longevity
Several years ago, psychologist Elissa Epel posed an interesting question to her much-honored colleague, biologist Elizabeth Blackburn: “Why do people under stress tend to look haggard?” Replied Blackburn: "I have no idea. Let's find out."
Finding the fountain of youth?
Epel was especially interested in collaborating with Blackburn, because in the 1970s, Blackburn had discovered the unique structure of telomeres, a small DNA cap, which, like the ends of shoelaces, protects the ends of chromosomes; and she had identified telomerase, the enzyme that repairs the telomeres. Not only does telomerase play a key role in aging, cells without it will eventually die. And even low levels can cause havoc; for instance, when it’s low in white blood cells, it’s linked with six major risk factors for heart disease.
Stress and longevity
So what do telomeres have to do with looking burned out when under stress? To find out, Blackburn and Epel put together a pioneering study with a group of mothers who were the caregivers for severely disabled children with a chronic illness. Clearly, this is a role that is known to cause severe stress.
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