Why presidents age faster

Generally they've had pretty good lives and already made it to a fairly old age, so they're going to live relatively long almost by definition," Crimmins said. Not so fast, said Dr. Irwin, whose center studies how the mind and body influence each other, said it's "unequivocal that significant life stress perceived by a person does accelerate aging.

Both aging and stress produce similar stages in inflammation, the biological pathway that contributes to age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, dementia and some cancers, he said.

Research by molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn also has shown that as people age, telomeres -- areas at the end of chromosomes -- shorten, and that this shortening along with inflammation is "highly predictive of death," Irwin said. Both changes are indicative of increased risk of death," Irwin said. Irwin said presidents do have advantages -- generally they're brought up in a good environment and healthy way.

Presidents and everyone else can dampen the effects of stress with good lifestyle practices, strong social circles and proper sleep patterns, Irwin said. And some effects of accelerated aging -- beyond those that have changed certain physical appearances and caused permanent structural damage -- are reversible, Roizen said.

And, presumably, lessen that stress. Share this on:. Roizen said Olshansky's study doesn't disprove that idea and only shows "that in order to run for president you tend to be incredibly healthy. Olshansky has even done some projecting about our current Commander-in-Chief, year-old President Barack Obama. Given his age when inaugurated, Obama's life expectancy would be 79, but Olshansky estimates that Obama will live to at least 82 because of his education, wealth and access to top-notch health care.

Ryan Jaslow. Please enter email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. Why, then, might historical medical records seem to reveal an inordinate amount of presidential health complaints? Olshansky suggested that the high-profile nature of the role could have something to do with it.

It happens to everyone when they grow older, and the kinds of things that you see described in U. Perhaps, then, sitting presidents simply need to get out more and catch some rays. Start your free trial today.

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