Depressed people age faster

Recent research by Dutch scientists shows that people with depression are at greater risk of aging than others.

During the study, scientists measured the length of telomere cell structures in about 1,900 people with severe depression-related problems at certain times of life, along with 500 Other ordinary people.

Telomeres are also considered to be hats at the end of chromosomes that protect DNA during cell division. Every time a cell divides, telomeres shrink and the length of this structure is considered to be an indicator of human aging.

Depressed people are at greater risk of aging than others.(Photo: ShutterStock)

According to Live Science, in people with depression-related diseases, telomeres are shorter in size than others, suggesting that the aging process in depressed people is also faster. for a long time.

The length of tolemere is determined by the number of base pair pairs (bp), the basic structure of DNA. In a healthy person, telomeres have an average length of 5,540 bp, while in those depressed the length of this structure is only 5,460bp. In people between the ages of 18 and 65, the telomere structure averages about 14bp each year.

The severity of each person's depression as well as the duration of the symptoms are related to the short length of the telomere structure. This comes after controlling for a number of other issues such as body weight, smoking or drinking habits, the main factors that make the aging process faster, of the study participants. .

" The psychological stresses experienced by depressed people have a detrimental effect on the wear and tear of the human body and make the aging process faster than normal people . This finding can be explained. Why do depressed people also have more health problems, 'said Josine Verhoeven, a researcher at Free University, Amsterdam.

According to the researchers, to minimize the effects of depressive symptoms on aging and health, every person should regularly exercise, have a habit of eating science, do not smoke, yes healthy lifestyle.