People eaten by stress are more likely to accelerate the aging of their immune system.
- Stressed adults tend to have poorer eating and exercise habits.
- A stressful event and chronic stress were linked to a lower percentage of immune system cells called “naive CD4 cells”.
Work, income, married life, raising children… There are many sources of stress. “Exposure to this nervous tension is a risk factor for accelerated aging. Immune aging plays a role in immune health and tissue-specific aging, and may contribute to an increased risk of poor health in people who experience high psychosocial stress”, wrote researchers from the University of California in the United States in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Cytometric estimates
As part of this research, scientists have tried to find out if there is a link between exposure to stress throughout life and the decline of the immune system. “This study clarifies the mechanisms involved in accelerated immune aging,” the authors said.
For the purposes of the work, they recruited 5,744 adults aged over 50. Participants completed a questionnaire about their experiences with social stress, including stressful life events, chronic stress, and discrimination on a daily or lifetime basis. Blood samples from the volunteers were then analyzed by flow cytometry, an analysis technique that makes it possible to quickly characterize and count cells.
A link between stress and immunosenescence
According to the results, adults with a higher stress score showed older immune profiles, with lower percentages of disease-fighting fresh cells and higher percentages of worn-out white blood cells. The association between stressful life events and decreased T-cell count, an essential component of immunity, remained strong even after controlling for education, smoking, alcohol consumption or BMI.
“Results identify psychosocial stress as a contributing factor to accelerated immune aging by decreasing naïve T cells”, can we read in the study. The team pointed out that immune aging is associated with cancers, cardiovascular disease, increased risk of pneumonia, reduced vaccine effectiveness and aging of organ systems.
