Cell aging in relation to stress arousal and cardiovascular disease risk factors

Abstract

SummaryWe previously reported that psychological stress is linked to and possibly accelerates cellular aging, as reflected by lower PBMC telomerase and shortened telomeres. Psychological stress is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), with multiple behavioral and physiological mediators. Telomere shortness has been associated with CVD, but the relationship between low telomerase activity, a potential precursor to telomere shortening, and CVD risk factors has not been examined in humans. Here we examine whether telomere length and telomerase in leukocytes are associated with physiological signs of stress arousal and CVD risk factors in 62 healthy women. Low telomerase activity in leukocytes was associated with exaggerated autonomic reactivity to acute mental stress and elevated nocturnal epinephrine. Further, low telomerase activity was associated with the major risk factors for CVD -smoking, poor lipid profile, high systolic blood pressure, high fasting glucose, greater abdominal adiposity-as well as to a composite Metabolic Syndrome variable. Telomere length was related only to elevated stress hormones (catecholamines and cortisol). Thus, we propose that low leukocyte telomerase constitutes an early marker of CVD risk, possibly preceding shortened telomeres, that results in part from chronic stress arousal. Possible cellular mechanisms by which low telomerase may link stress and traditional risk factors to CVD are discussed. Psychoneuroendocrinology (2006) These findings may implicate telomerase as a novel and important mediator of the effects of psychological stress on physical health and disease. Q

Shorter telomeres with high telomerase activity are associated with raised allostatic load and impoverished psychosocial resources

“…Studies relating shorter telomeres to life stress have involved both men and women (10,11,14,18,20). Previous research relating telomeres to acute physiological stress responses have been carried out with female but not male samples (15,21,24), although associations between health risk and the combination of shorter telomeres and raised TA have been reported in both men and women (16,25). The explanation for the sex difference in response profiles in our study is not clear.…”

“…Acute mental stress appears to increase telomerase enzymatic activity at least transiently (24), and it has been suggested that high telomerase activity (TA) in conjunction with shorter TL may be indicative of a stressed system (25). This pattern may be particularly relevant to cardiovascular disease; Kroenke et al…”

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Serum Biomarkers in the Black Women’s Health Study

“…64,65 The resulting physiological disturbances may accelerate cell aging and death leading to several adverse health outcomes, including CVD. 66 In a cross-sectional study of 6814 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), higher levels of psychosocial stress, measured as cynical distrust and chronic stress, were associated with higher levels of CRP, and IL-6. 67 Kulenovic examined plasma lipid levels in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a study of male war veterans in Bosnia 68 and observed significantly lower levels of HDL among those veterans suffering from PTSD compared to those who were not.…”

Mindfulness‐based cancer recovery and supportive‐expressive therapy maintain telomere length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors

“…6 Shorter TL has been implicated in several disease states, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dyskeritosis congenita, aplastic anemia, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. 7 Shorter TL also was found to be predictive of earlier mortality in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 8 promyelocytic leukemia, 9 and breast cancer. [10][11][12] However, the relationships between TL and the clinical or pathological features of tumors are still not clearly understood.…”