Dutch scientists have conducted new scientific research, according to which people who suffer from depression, age much earlier than others. These studies were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry on November 12th.
This experiment involved 1900 people who suffered from depressive disorders, and another 500 people who volunteered to participate in the experiment and never suffered from depression. During the experiment, scientists measured the length of cell structures called telomeres and are the terminal sections of chromosomes and protect DNA during cell division. Telomeres become a little shorter during the normal process of cell division, it follows that their length determines the sign of cell aging.
As a result of research, scientists came to the conclusion that people with depression have shorter telosomes than representatives of the control group. This makes it possible to assume that the cellular aging of people who suffer from depression occurs several years faster, these are the conclusions of scientists.
In addition, shorter telomere lengths are found in people with severe forms of depression and prolonged symptoms. The result was confirmed, even taking into account such distorting factors as alcohol, smoking, body weight and other reasons that can stimulate the aging process in the body.
“Physiological stress caused by the presence of a depressive state has a strong negative effect on the human body, resulting in accelerated biological aging, ” says research author Josine Verhoeven, a researcher at the Free University of Amsterdam.
She says the research findings explain complaints of poor health among people with clinical depression.
Studies that were conducted earlier confirmed the fact that the risk of developing various age-related diseases of cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, even when taking into account distorting factors that are associated with a person’s lifestyle and overall health, is higher in people who are depressed. It is on this basis that the question arises of the effect of depression on the acceleration of aging processes.
The telomere length was determined by the number of composite DNA blocks, which are called base pairs (bp). In carrying out the above study, scientists found that healthy people have a telomere length that averages 5.540 bp, and for people who have previously suffered from depression, it is 5.460 bp.
People from 18 to 65 years old participated in the experiment. By comparing the results with previous studies, scientists found that the length of human telnomeres every year becomes shorter by 14 bp.
The results of the study, which were obtained at the Free University of Amsterdam, showed only an association between depression and telomere reduction, but not a causal relationship.
It's entirely conceivable that there is some other factor, such as a genetic predisposition, which is associated with shorter telomeres and a greater risk of depression, scientists say.
It is also acceptable that telomeres are shortened if the stress system is disturbed in the body.
The authors of the study emphasize that the question remains whether the aging process is reversible. Verhoeven says that in the human body there is an enzyme called telomerase that extends telomeres by attaching nucleotides to the terminal parts of chromosomes, therefore, it is quite acceptable that with a change in lifestyle, telomerase activity can be increased and the telomere length will increase.
“Thus, for people with depression, a healthy lifestyle with an adequate amount of physical activity and exercise in particular, smoking cessation and a healthy diet can be even more important than for those who do not have depressive disorders, ” she emphasizes.
Based on materials: livescience.com
