Scientists from the University of Connecticut found that depression in older people is associated with mitochondrial deterioration. Research results published In the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Depression is associated with impaired functioning of mitochondria (they are tiny structures inside cells that perform many important tasks, including energy production), that is, associated with their accelerated aging. This leads to accelerated biological aging of the whole organism.
The team measured the levels of the mitochondrial protein GDF-15 in the blood of nearly 400 depressed people over the age of 70. This protein is closely associated with aging and poorly functioning mitochondria. The higher the level of GDF-15 in the blood, the more mitochondria are damaged. As it turned out, people with depression had higher levels of this protein.
Researchers have begun testing interventions that improve mitochondrial function and stop aging in humans, in hopes they can slow or even reverse biological aging.