Aging and stress

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Dec, 2005  by Robert A. Anderson

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Review: The elevation of cortisol that occurs with stress tends in the young to return to baseline quickly; in the old it has a propensity to remain much higher and return to baseline much more slowly. Chronic stress accelerates the aging process. Stress leads to increased corticosteroid synthesis which down-regulates the neuronal loss in the brain, especially hippocampal; neuroreceptor loss provides negative feedback which decreases corticosteroid synthesis. The hyperadrenalcorticoidism suppresses immunity, causes muscle atrophy, increases bone calcium loss, increases blood glucose and hyperlipidemia, leads to steroid diabetes, contributes to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Sapolsky RM et al. The neuroendocrinology of stress and aging: the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis. Endocr Rev 1986 Aug; 7(3):284-301

COMMENT: Sapolsky, renowned authority in this field, delineates the mechanisms which support his premise that stress accelerates aging. The pathways involved chronically elevated catecholamines and corticosteroids. Some of the learned behaviors, among many, which neutralize these effects by reducing peak levels of catecholamines and corticosteroids with stress and their baseline levels in times of relative calm, include prayer, meditation, appropriate breathing techniques, reflective time in Nature, humor and laughter, and quiet times of appreciating great art, literature and music. Written prescriptions for the practice of these skills will have an effect on a fairly wide spectrum of patients and will emphasize their importance in the total mix of therapeutic initiatives.

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