Telomere length, telomerase activity, stress, and aging

Abstract

This review is dedicated to an analysis of the data that are available at the present time concerning the possible influence of stress on telomere lengths and telomerase activity, as well as various ways of counteracting it. The present-day telomerase theory of aging is gaining new impetus and shedding light upon the influence of the psychological state of humans and their ability to counteract stress, as well as on the process of aging. It also tends to regard telomere shortening and the decrease in the activity of telomerase as a marker of the level of the ability to adapt to both internal and external influences. Both aging and age-dependent diseases have proven to be substantially retarded not only by the administration of drugs, but also by psychological means, which forms a good path to healthy longevity. With complete understanding of the impossibility of preventing or even decreasing the rate of natural senescence itself, these methods allow one to remove causes that accelerate senescence and to increase the average human lifespan.