Stress Can Temporarily Increase Your Biological Age: Study

The study thus suggested that, unlike chronological age, biological age shows fluidity and can fluctuate with changing circumstances, internal or external.

Our chronological and biological ages might not always be the same. The former is the number of years we have been alive and the latter refers to how old our cells and tissues might be. A new study has shown that stress or stressful events can temporarily change our biological age but the change might not be permanent and can reverse with time. As per the study, stress could be emotional, physical, environmental or any other form.

The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The study made use of a chemical reaction methylation of DNA to observe the changes in the biological ages of mice and men. Physically and environmentally stressful situations were created and changes in the biological clock were noted.

What did the study find?

In an experiment, a surgical procedure was performed to pair two mice, one three months old and the other 20 months old. The two were supposed to share a common circulation. Being a physically stressful situation, the researchers observed that the biological age of the younger mice increased relatively quickly. However, when the two mice were separated towards the end of the experiment, the younger mice's biological age was restored to the original.

Also Read

More News

The scientists involved in the study expected the same results in people going through physically or emotionally stressful situations such as having emergency surgery, suffering from COVID-19 or recovering from postpartum challenges. A similar trend was observed in the above cases where biological age was restored to baseline within days after the procedure or after the stressful event had passed.

The study thus suggested that, unlike chronological age, biological age shows fluidity and can fluctuate with changing circumstances, internal or external. It also showed that extreme stress can also increase the mortality risk. As per some quoted experts, biological age can act as a parameter in understanding stress and ways to get relief from it.

What can stress do to your body?

Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to some internal or external stressor. It is associated with the release of chemicals called cortisol and adrenaline that can bring sudden physical changes like increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, increased blood pressure, muscle tension and other changes. There are other things that stress can do-