Everyone knows that stress can make you feel bad. But a recent study reveals that it can also make your immune system age faster, which can put you at higher risk for cancer, heart disease and infections like COVID-19.
Researchers from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California studied the impact of a lifetime of exposure to stress on the health of the immune system.
Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For the study of more than 5,700 people over the age of 50, researchers analyzed responses to a questionnaire about participants’ stressful experiences.
Participants also donated blood samples which were analyzed to assess the health of the immune system.
According to the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology report on the study findings:
“As expected, people with higher stress scores had apparently older immune profiles, with lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of spent white blood cells. »
The following four types of stress have been cited as responsible for faster aging of the immune system.
Traumatic events
Tragic events in our lives can leave scars that last a lifetime. Whether it’s losing a loved one or being the victim of a crime, traumatic events trigger stress that can affect our well-being.
stress at work
Many of us work as employees for decades, putting in long hours just to pay the bills. The stress of being chained to our workplace is even worse if we despise our jobs.
Daily stressors
Unfortunately, life itself – mere existence – can cause us a great deal of grief. Financial constraints, for example, can cause chronic stress. The list of things to worry about day in and day out is endless.
Alas, researchers say that this type of stress also poses a danger to our immune system.
Discrimination
Prejudices are part of the daily life of millions of people. Facing discrimination because of your race, identity, or even beliefs can affect your well-being.
The researchers say their findings could help explain why there are differences in health outcomes among older people, including how they fare when infected with COVID-19.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help stave off the negative effects of stress, researchers say.
Poor diet and lack of exercise have been linked to accelerated shrinkage of a gland known as the thymus, where T-cells reside – a major component of immunity. As fatty tissue replaces thymus tissue, people tend to produce fewer immune cells.
So eating better and being active could help keep your immune system healthy.
In an article about the study, the study’s lead author, Eric Klopack, a postdoctoral researcher at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, says:
“In this study, after statistically controlling for poor diet and low exercise, the link between stress and accelerated immune aging was not as strong. This means that people who experience more stress tend to have poorer eating and exercise habits, which is part of why they have more accelerated immune aging.