Scientists at Harvard Medical School have discovered that stress-induced biological aging can be reversed. Research published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Scientists have found that biological aging accelerates after stressful events: major surgeries, pregnancy, infections. However, after recovering from the stress, the biological age markers returned to their original state.
“Perhaps this was most clearly demonstrated by our analysis of changes in biological age in response to major surgery,” the scientists said.
Blood samples from elderly trauma patients undergoing emergency surgery showed spikes in bioage markers that returned to baseline one week after surgery. However, there was no sign of rapid aging in patients who opted for elective surgery.
The authors of the study considered epigenetic changes in DNA – specific markers in DNA that can activate or block the operation of genes. This process is influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors, so the degree of epigenetic change can be used as a “biological clock”. Scientists can also estimate biological age by measuring the length of telomeres, the protective “caps” at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division.
Past research on longevity has often looked for ways to lengthen telomeres to extend the lifespan of animals. Not only does the new study show that the body can reverse the biological processes of aging, it could also draw attention to drugs that target epigenetic changes rather than telomeres.