In recent years, we’ve become more aware of the link between physical and mental health. A truly effective approach has to take care of your body as much as it does your mind. New research reveals yet another dimension to how your mental wellbeing may affect your longevity, particularly when it comes to depression (https://longevity.technology/news/depression-plays-role-in-accelerating-biological-aging/).
The relationship between physical and mental health is complicated and multifaceted. Illness and injury can contribute to depression and anxiety, but there’s also growing evidence that our thoughts, feelings and attitudes have a significant impact on life expectancy. That includes a new study that suggests people with depression are seeing their biological age increase at an accelerated rate, potentially knocking up to 20 years off their lifespan.
This particular study was carried out by the UConn Center on Aging. There were 426 participants, all of whom had experienced depression later in life. Researchers took blood samples and analyzed the various age-related protein markers that are often associated with chronic inflammation and other conditions of aging. They also looked more broadly at different aspects of physical health, brain function and other medical conditions alongside evaluating the severity of their depression.
Results showed that higher amounts of age-related proteins correlated with poor cardiovascular health, including higher blood pressure, increased levels of bad cholesterol and more adverse medical events. A more rapid rate of aging was also associated with weaker cognitive functioning, including issues with working memory. This kind of age-related physical and mental deterioration was likely to occur faster in individuals who experienced depression.
Now, the phrase we always like to throw around with this kind of study is “correlation is not causation.” Just because two things happen together doesn’t mean one instigated the other. Some aspects of this study, like the fact that the severity of the depression didn’t seem to link to the speed or severity of aging, don’t seem entirely logical. Still, there’s enough evidence that scientists plan to explore the connection between depression and aging further, such as whether longevity therapies targeting senescent cells may alleviate late-life depression, too.
Whether depression accelerates aging because of biological factors or because it makes it harder to follow a healthy lifestyle (such as good sleep, diet and exercise habits), it seems that aging research and treatment needs to explore mental illness alongside physical deterioration.
