Stress and Biological Age: A Dynamic Relationship
What is Biological Age?
Biological age refers to the health and condition of your body’s cells and DNA. It is a measure of how well your body is aging compared to your chronological age (the number of years you have been alive). Biological age can be higher or lower than chronological age, depending on factors such as lifestyle, diet, and stress.
Stress and Biological Age
Stress can have a significant impact on biological age. When you experience stress, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can damage DNA and cells, leading to an increase in biological age.
Can Biological Age Be Reversed?
A recent study suggests that biological age can be reversed after a stressor subsides. Researchers found that mice who were exposed to stress had an increase in biological age, but after the stress was removed, their biological age returned to normal.
Evidence from Human Studies
Similar findings have been observed in humans. For example, one study found that patients who underwent major surgery had an increased biological age the morning after the procedure, but it returned to pre-surgery levels within a few days.
Another study found that biological age increased during pregnancy, but it returned to pre-pregnancy levels within about six weeks after giving birth.
Impact of Stressful Events
Certain stressful events can have a particularly strong impact on biological age. These include:
- Surgery: Major surgeries, such as hip replacements and colorectal surgery, can lead to an increase in biological age.
- Pregnancy: Pregnancy is a stressful event that can increase biological age, but this typically reverses after giving birth.
- COVID-19: A study found that biological age decreased within two weeks of recovery from COVID-19 in female patients, but not in male patients.
Implications for Health
Biological age is linked to health risks. A higher biological age is associated with an increased risk of certain diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Therefore, it is important to manage stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep your biological age as low as possible.
How to Manage Stress
There are many ways to manage stress, including:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Tai chi
- Spending time in nature
- Talking to a therapist
- Getting enough sleep
- Eating a healthy diet
Conclusion
Stress can have a significant impact on biological age, but it is important to remember that biological age is not permanent. By managing stress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can help to keep your biological age low and reduce your risk of disease.