Summary of New Study Shows That Relieving Stress Can Reverse Biological Age:
A recent study has found evidence that biological age, which represents the well-being of a person’s cells and tissues, can be reversed when stress is relieved. The study observed this reversal in surgery, pregnancy, and severe COVID-19 after recovery, highlighting the potential for identifying interventions to slow or partially reverse biological aging. The study used “biological clocks” to determine the health of cells and tissue and measured levels of DNA methylation – molecular changes that can indicate an increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality. While the clocks used are biomarkers that may reflect biological age or be driven by other factors that have not yet been identified, the study suggests a new understanding of the nature of natural aging, with implications for anti-aging drug testing.
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Can Stress Relief Help Reverse Biological Age?
As we age, our bodies gradually decline in function, which can lead to a range of age-related diseases. But what if we could slow or even reverse the aging process? A recent study has found that biological age—the health of a person’s cells and tissue—can be restored when stress is relieved. The study has significant implications for anti-aging drug testing and could change how we approach aging.
Stress and Biological Aging
Biological age, unlike chronological age, can be affected by various factors, including illness, lifestyle modifications, and environmental factors. In both preclinical models and human subjects, stress caused by surgery, pregnancy, and severe COVID-19 has been shown to accelerate signs of biological aging. However, these signs were found to revert to normal levels following recovery.
“Severe stress can trigger biological age to increase, but if that stress is short-lived, the signs of biological aging can be reversed,” said lead author Jesse Poganik, Ph.D., of the Brigham’s Division of Genetics.
The Study
Poganik and colleagues gathered data from several situations likely to cause severe physiological stress. The team examined blood samples from elderly patients undergoing emergency surgery, looking at samples collected immediately before surgery, a few days after surgery, and before discharge from the hospital. The team also looked at blood samples from pregnant mice and pregnant people and patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to the intensive care unit.
The team used “biological clocks” to determine the health of cells and tissue. Biological clocks measure levels of DNA methylation—molecular changes that can indicate an increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality.
The Results
In the studies of the effect of pregnancy on biological age, the researchers saw a consistent pattern in humans and mice: biological age increased during pregnancy until giving birth. The researchers saw indications that biological age increased physiological stress but was restored when the stressful situation was resolved. In the analysis of patients undergoing major surgery, the team found that signs of biological age increased among patients receiving emergency surgery to repair a hip fracture but returned to baseline four to seven days after surgery. Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the team saw an increase in biological age partially reversed by the time of discharge from the ICU for female patients.
Implications for Anti-Aging Drug Testing
The authors note that the clocks they are using are biomarkers—signs that may reflect biological age or could be driven by other factors that have not yet been identified. They also note that not all subjects recover their biological age at the same rate or to the same extent. However, the work does point to a new understanding of the nature of natural aging, with implications for the study of anti-aging interventions.
“Our findings challenge the concept that biological age can only increase over a person’s lifetime and suggest that it may be possible to identify interventions that could slow or even partially reverse biological age,” said senior author Vadim Gladyshev, Ph.D., of Brigham’s Division of Genetics. “When stress was relieved, biological age could be restored. This means finding ways to help the body recover from stress could increase longevity.”
Conclusion
The study proves that biological age can be restored when stress is relieved. However, the study offers hope for identifying interventions that could slow or even partially reverse natural aging, and finding ways to help the body recover from stress could increase longevity. Understanding how and why biological age rises and how to improve recovery will be important areas of focus for future studies.
