Phobic Stress Linked to Shorter Telomeres

New study suggests that high levels of phobic anxiety, as in fear of flying, may lead to shorter telomeres.

Too much stress is never a good thing; it’s linked with a bevy of poor health outcomes and can even age you faster. Now, Harvard Medical School researchers have shown that phobic anxiety could hasten shortening of telomeres, the markers of aging.

The researchers found that phobic anxiety—or the irrational fear of a certain situation or object (i.e. fear of flying or crowded spaces)—is associated with a greater number of cells with short telomeres, similar to that which is found in people who suffer from chronic stress.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, analyzed telomere lengths in blood samples provided by 5,243 middle aged and elderly women who were divided into low and high phobic anxiety groups based on self-reports regarding phobic symptoms on a validated questionnaire. Women with high phobic anxiety had significantly shorter telomeres than women with low phobic anxiety, showing premature aging of telomeres that would correspond to a difference of about six years.

“This study provides a key addition – phobic anxiety – to an emerging literature that posits mental distress and disorders as risk factors for accelerated aging,” the researchers wrote.

Telomeres are the guards of genetic material within cells, and have been the focus of many scientific studies over the last several years because of their association with aging. They are repetitive nucleotide sequences at the end of chromosomes acting as caps to protect DNA from damage that occurs when cells divide. Over time, telomeres gradually shorten, leading to the DNA damage and cell death that is implicated in aging.

How to protect your DNA? General recommendations are to exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, avoid smoking, and adopt stress-reducing habits. Supplementation with vitamins, minerals, fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, and potent amounts of stress-busting or telomere-supporting botanicals can also play a role.

And based on this study, it may be necessary to have your “happy place” geared up to escape to in your head, or other defense mechanism, when faced with situations that bring you panic. It might do more than get you through the situation—it just might protect your telomeres and help your body stay younger.

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Reference: Okereke OI et al. High phobic anxiety is related to lower leukocyte telomere length in women. Plos One 2012;7:e40516. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040516