FindCounseling.com > Resources > Psychology News and Research Briefs > Caregiver Stress Hastens Aging At Chromosome-Level

Caregiver Stress Hastens Aging At Chromosome-Level

The catchphrase "stress kills" is no longer just lip service. Stress impacts human beings on a core molecular level that may shorten lives up to eight years, reveals research by Ohio State University's Ronald Glaser and Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser.

It comes down to telomeres, areas of genetic material that act as a chromosomal endcaps which keep cells from deteriorating too quickly. As cells age, divide and naturally lose function, an enzyme called telomerase, helps to repair the telomeres and keep their genetic instructions intact.

However, this process appears to be greatly hastened in caregivers of patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease, shows.

The study analyzed data obtained on eighty-two subjects (41 caregivers and 41 controls) who were part of a larger study on caregiver stress, immune function, and health.(1) Twenty-six caregivers were spouses and 15 caregivers were children of Alzheimer's patients. The controls were age and gender matched to the caregivers. The mean age of the caregivers was 65 and gender broke down as 11 male and 30 female subjects.

Results indicate that the stress incurred while acting as caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease decreases the body's ability to repair it's aging cells, decreases the cells that are an important part of the human immune system, and increases the molecules in our body that increase inflammation. Caregivers faced an age span that was reduced by 4 to 8 years and had fewer white blood cells, indicating a compromised immune system.

A secondary but equally compelling statistic was that the caregivers showed a level of depression twice that of the non-caregivers they were compared to, a factor that also decreases the effectiveness of the body's immune system.

Read more: Chronic Stress Can Steal Years from Caregiver's Lifetimes