American and Chinese researchers have calculated that two different emotions accelerate the aging process faster than smoking
Smoking accelerates biological aging, which manifests in visible signs on the epidermis, among other things. Nevertheless, a team of American and Chinese researchers has now shown that the aging process is significantly accelerated when individuals are lonely or miserable. They have conducted a comparison of a variety of physical and mental factors to determine the impact of these factors on the biological aging of the body. In this context, they have discovered that the aging process is substantially more adversely affected by loneliness, poor sleep, and a sense of unhappiness than by smoking.
Employed the "aging clock" to perform the calculations.
"Our primary message is that the body and soul are interconnected," explains Fedor Galkin, who was involved in the new study. Researchers in the journal Aging-US describe the development of a digital aging model, which is akin to a "aging clock." The model was constructed using data acquired in 2015 from 4,846 adult Chinese individuals as part of the "China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study" (CHARLS). In this instance, they examined a total of 16 distinct biomarkers in the blood, such as glucose and cholesterol. Furthermore, they assessed lung function, blood pressure, and body mass index.
Using the "aging clock," researchers were able to determine the aging rate of 2,617 individuals who were diagnosed with diseases such as liver diseases, pulmonary diseases, and strokes, which are known to accelerate the aging process. In this context, they discovered that the aging of the ill individuals was more advanced than that of 4451 healthy adults who shared the same chronological age, gender, and geographical location.
The most significant influence was loneliness.
The average effect of the numerous diseases increased the actual age of the individuals by 18 months. The greatest surprise, however, was the examination of psychological factors. In this study, they discovered that individuals who experienced feelings of loneliness or unhappiness had an average of 19.8 months added to their biological age. In comparison, smokers were deemed to be 15 months older than non-smokers of the same age, as determined by the "aging clock." The researchers underscore that their conclusions are exclusively based on model calculations, as they have employed the "aging clock."
They have not conducted any further research to ascertain whether individuals with psychologically burdensome issues actually age at a quicker pace. The task of determining whether the model calculations can withstand repeated testing over an extended period of years will be crucial in the future, they assert.