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

ABSTRACT: Recent work has linked psychological stress with premature cellular aging as indexed by reduced leukocyte telomere length. The combination of shorter telomeres with high telomerase activity (TA) may be indicative of active cell stress. We hypothesized that older individuals characterized by shorter telomeres with high TA in unstimulated leukocytes would show signs of high allostatic load and low levels of protective psychosocial resources. We studied 333 healthy men and women aged 54-76 y who underwent laboratory testing in which we measured cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory responses to standardized mental stress tasks. The tasks elicited prompt increases in blood pressure (BP), heart rate, cortisol, and mediators of inflammation and reductions in heart rate variability, re

SUBMITTER: Zalli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3970484 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature