Link Between Depression And Accelerated Aging

Major depressive disorder is recognized as one of the most serious problems facing the modern society. It affects about 15 million people in the US alone, and is observed more commonly among women. In combination with sustained stress, depressions are even more dangerous. It is an empiric knowledge that stress and depression can lead to faster aging, probably via affecting the general quality of life. Major depressive disorder is characterized by persistently low mood that is associated with loss of interest in the surrounding world and low self-esteem. Major depressive disorder affects the life of a person both at home and work place. About 3.4% of people with major depression commit suicide.

To prove it conclusively, many researchers attempted various methods to correlate depression and evidence of faster aging in people exposed to prolonged depression.

Depression leads to the shortening of telomere

Researchers from the VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands conducted a study on 1095 people with major depression and 802 people who had recovered from major depression. The age group ranged from 18 to 65 years and 66% of the participants were women. They compared the findings with another set of 510 people who never suffered from depression.

They found that people suffering from depression may age at a faster pace. This conclusion comes from the analysis of telomere length in these individuals. Telomeres are specific structures located at each end of chromosomes. They protect the chromosomal ends from degeneration or from combining with adjacent chromosomes. With each cell division the telomeres shorten. As a result, the length of telomeres indicates the age of individuals and their cells. After a critical number of divisions is reached, the cell dies.

Researchers found that the telomeres in people with depression were shorter than in the control group, thereby substantiating the assumption that depression hastens the aging process. The investigators concluded that the observed difference was substantial even after taking into account the other lifestyle factors that affect aging.

The length of telomere is measured by the number of DNA building blocks that are called base pairs. On average, about 14 base pairs are removed from telomeres every year during cell divisions. Researchers found that healthy people had about 5540 telomere base pairs whereas depressed people had 5460 base pair per telomere. Although the researchers have demonstrated this association, a cause and effect relationship between short telomeres and depression could not be proven solely on the basis of these data. It can’t be excluded that some form of genetic vulnerability may be related to such effect.

However, some potential explanations and theories have been proposed. First, chronic stress and depression can lead to increased oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Elevated levels of oxidative stress and inflammation can contribute to cellular damage, including damage to telomeres, leading to their shortening over time. Second, telomere shortening is a natural part of the aging process, and it is thought that individuals with depression may experience accelerated cellular aging due to various physiological and psychological factors.

Third, depressive symptoms can sometimes lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and inadequate sleep. These lifestyle factors can contribute to cellular aging and may affect telomere length. Lastly, chronic stress and depression may interfere with the body's ability to repair and regenerate cells, which could also impact telomere length.

Read More: What depression does to a person?

Depression-linked problems accelerate the aging further

Scientists have also detected that the severity of depression and longer duration of symptoms were associated with shorter telomere length. Other factors that contribute to aging, like weight, smoking and alcohol consumption, were also taken into consideration. These findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry.

The author stated that psychological distress experienced by depressed persons has a detrimental effect on a person’s body and results in acceleration of biological aging. This may also be a contributing factor for many health problems in people with depression. Certain diseases associated with the old age such as dementia, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancers are more commonly seen in these people.

Depression Affects Delicate Balance In Cellular Mechanisms And Leads To Multiple Health Problems

Research has also shown the presence of an enzyme called telomerase that helps in maintaining the length of telomeres after each cell division. It helps in elongation of telomeres by adding nucleotides to the chromosomal ends. It is possible that a healthy lifestyle may boost the activity of this enzyme. The findings suggest that lifestyle interventions certainly have significant benefits in retarding the aging process. Though aging cannot be reversed as of now, these interventions can surely have a positive impact on people with depression.

Another study conducted in California demonstrated that depression is associated with abnormally high rate of aging-associated illnesses and early death. Researchers called it the accelerated aging in depression. In the course of this study, telomeres in white blood cells were monitored. It was found that telomeres shorten with aging, as well as due to oxidation damage and inflammation. These researchers also stated that the telomere shortening progresses is proportional to the duration of depression during lifetime.

Depression, stress and unhealthy lifestyle

Very often people with major depression avoid physical exercise and resort to unhealthy lifestyle in the form of heavy alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking. 

Depression is always linked to stress. Stress has both physical and emotional impact and the stress response of the body occurs through brain. In response to stress, brain activates the autonomic nervous system. The aim of stress response is to mobilize energy for “fight or flight” response. This results in changes in many organs and systems.

The effect of chronic stress is obvious and presents itself with chronic disorders. Research has shown that chronic stress increases apoptosis, or programmed cell death. During this process, the activation of enzyme system called “caspases” takes place. This leads to protein degeneration and cell death. Autophagy or self-destruction of cell components is also a prominent feature of the process. The mitochondria and cytoplasmic proteins in the cells undergo auto-digestion.

Depression, antidepressants and heart problems

People affected by depression tend to suffer from multiple health problems. Some of them seem to be associated with decreased control of parasympathetic vagus nerve. This results in higher risk of heart disease. The antidepressant drugs taken by many people also add to the problem. The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety conducted in 2008 concluded that many of the cardiovascular effects observed in these patients may be the caused by antidepressant drugs.

Read More: Treating Depression - What Are Your Options?

Some types of antidepressants have been associated with certain cardiovascular effects, but the risk varies depending on the specific medication, individual factors, and the dose used. Not all antidepressants carry the same risk, and many people can take them safely without experiencing heart-related issues.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) are an older class of antidepressants that have been associated with several cardiovascular side effects. They can cause changes in heart rhythm (arrhythmias), especially in individuals with pre-existing heart conditions. TCAs can also lead to orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure when standing up, which can be concerning for people with heart problems.

On the other hand, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are a newer class of antidepressants and are generally considered safer concerning cardiovascular effects compared to TCAs. However, some studies have suggested a potential association between long-term SSRI use and a slightly increased risk of specific heart conditions, such as arrhythmias. The risk is generally small and might be more relevant for individuals with pre-existing heart conditions.

Although the effect of depression and other health damaging factors on the length of telomeres is not reversible, it can be at least partially prevented by physical exercises. It was noted by a number of researchers that physically active people do sustain longer telomeres in their cells.

All these new scientific findings emphasize once more the damaging effect of depression. It’s not just our mood and behavior that gets affected. The changes also happen deep in our cells and can significantly damage the health in the long term.