People with severe mental illness could age faster than the general population if they have an unhealthy lifestyle, according to new research by King’s College London published in Translational Psychiatry.
People with conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder typically die 10–20 years earlier than the general population. Scientists have long suspected that faster biological ageing may play a role, but the mechanisms behind this remain unclear.
The StressLab at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) investigated whether lifestyle factors including diet, physical activity, alcohol and drug use, and smoking might influence biological ageing in this group. To do this, they examined telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten naturally with age and can be affected by stress and lifestyle.
The study included 410 participants with severe mental disorders selected from the Norwegian Thematically Organised Psychosis (TOP) study. The health behaviours analysed in the study comprised diet, lifestyles linked to younger biological age
The researchers found that people with severe mental disorders who reported healthier lifestyles had significantly longer telomeres than those with less healthy behaviours. The difference in telomere length was equivalent to being around six years younger in biological age. They also observed a clear gradient; the unhealthier lifestyle behaviours a person had, the shorter their telomeres tended to be.
Childhood trauma may shape long-term health
The study uncovered a potential link between childhood experiences, lifestyle and biological ageing. In particular, a history of childhood sexual abuse was associated with less <a Health behaviours and telomere biology in severe mental disorders'was published in Translational Psychiatry' Mlakar et al. was published in Translational Psychiatry
In this story
Vid Mlakar
Dr Monica Aas
- Health
