According to the study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California, the pressures of work, daily life, stress and feelings of anxiety, accelerate the aging of the immune system, and increase the risks of cancer, heart disease and Covid-19.
In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said that stressful behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol and unhealthy eating habits weaken the body’s immunity.
“These healthy behaviors explain the link between stress and immune aging,” said Eric Klopak, an expert in gerontology at the University of Southern California. “People who experience greater stress may be more likely to engage in risky, healthy behaviors. These behaviors may reduce the production of new immune cells.” “.
“The immune system naturally begins to weaken as people age, a condition called immune degeneration, in which many white blood cells are worn out, along with a few new white blood cells that can fight infection,” Klopak added. cancer, heart disease, and the risk of infectious diseases, such as pneumonia.”
He continued, “Another possible explanation for a weakened immune system includes CMV infection, which has significant effects on the immune system. To keep CMV in check, the immune system has to allocate a great deal of resources, which means that too many T cells are being generated.” They are produced to deal with CMV, and some will remain as old, non-functioning cells.”
According to Klopak, stress and anxiety can lead to CMV activation, forcing the immune system to allocate more resources in response, thus impairing the health of T cells.
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