Researchers continue to dig into the connection between psychological stress and telomere length: "Exercise can buffer the effects of stress-induced cell aging, according to new research ... A growing body of research suggests that short telomeres are linked to a range of health problems, including coronary heart disease and diabetes, as well as early death. ... Telomere length is increasingly considered a biological marker of the accumulated wear and tear of living, integrating genetic influences, lifestyle behaviors, and stress. ... Results support [the] discovery six years earlier in premenopausal women that psychological stress has a detrimental effect on immune cell longevity, as it relates to shorter telomeres. The new study showed, however, that when participants were divided into groups - an inactive group, and an active [group] - only the inactive high stress group had shorter telomeres. The active high stress group did not have shorter telomeres. In other words, stress predicted shorter telomeres in the sedentary group, but not in the active group."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/uoc--ber052510.php

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