Psychosocial Stressors and Telomere Length: A Current Review of the Science.

Psychosocial Stressors and Telomere Length: A Current Review of the Science. Annu Rev Public Health. 2020 Jan 03;: Authors: Rentscher KE, Carroll JE, Mitchell C Abstract A growing literature suggests that exposure to adverse social conditions may accelerate biological aging, offering one mechanism through which adversity may increase risk for age-related disease. As one of the most extensively studied biological markers of aging, telomere length (TL) provides a valuable tool to understand potential influences of social adversity on the aging process. Indeed, a sizeable literature now links a wide range of stressors to TL across the life span. The aim of this article is to review and evaluate this extant literature with a focus on studies that investigate psychosocial stress exposures and experiences in early life and adulthood. We conclude by outlining potential biological and behavioral mechanisms through which psychosocial stress may influence TL, and we discuss directions for future research in this area. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 41 is April 1, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates. PMID: 31900099 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Annual Review of Public Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Annu Rev Public Health Source Type: research