In this article, we discuss How We Get Older Before Our Time. To catch up from the previous article and to understand how the mind directly affects the body, review Stress-Silent Killer P1. Believe it or not, there is so much that we can do that does not cost an extra penny nor require expensive psychological or medical fees, if we would ACT NOW and DO the actions that show you care, we and our loved ones would be so much better off.

Does stress make you feel older? A recent study at the University of California at San Francisco tells us that it is not just a feeling. Stress DOES accelerate the aging process.

Per the study, stress alters our telomeres, the strips of DNA at the end of chromosomes, that appear to protect and stabilize the chromosome ends. FYI, chromosomes are threadlike structures of DNA and proteins located in the nucleus of a cell. They carry genetic information in the form of genes. There are key pieces of DNA involved in regulating cell division and each time the cell divides, the telomere shortens, until there is nothing left, which makes cell division less reliable and increases the risk of age-related disorders.

In the study, scientist took blood samples of 58 premenopausal women to carry out DNA analysis of telomeres. They measured the levels of an enzyme called telomerase, which helps to build and maintain telomeres in immune cells.

Nineteen of these women had healthy children and the rest had children with chronic illnesses. Women especially know that caregiving is no cake walk and can be stressful. The women who reported higher levels of psychological stress, those caring for sick children, had shorter telomeres. It is so starking that the difference was equivalent to more than a decade of additional aging when compared with the levels of women who had lower stress levels. MORE THAN An EXTRA DECADE OF AGING IS QUITE SERIOUS!!!

In addition, the high-stress group had lower levels of telomerase in their immune cells.According to Elissa Epel, PhD, the teams leading researcher, this implies that the immune cells would not function as well and could die sooner. The high-stress women also had greater levels of oxidative stress, which is cumulative damage caused by free radicals, something we have spoken about in depth during our radio program. Please know that oxidative stress definitely speeds up the shortening of the telomores.

Please look around and take notice of your friends and family that are high-stress people, those that are quick to anger, to snap, that "don't take no stuff", that think negatively and compare that with the opposite typer personality. Does one look aged more than the other? Does one seem more healthy looking than the other?

We sincerely urge you to give these findings serious consideration. It displays to your loved ones and yourself the actions that show you care. In the next article, we will show you How Stress Has Teeth. Following that will be solutions to combat stress.

KhaazRa MaaRanu

Order Now! Buy One and get the 2nd 50% OFF!!!