Stress and longevity may be more closely linked than diet, alcohol or exercise alone, after two centenarians offered strikingly different accounts of how they had reached old age.
A 103-year-old woman, who was planning another trip to Paris, attributed much of her long life to two poached eggs each morning and a brandy at 5pm, habits she had maintained for 40 years. She also enjoyed a busy social life and was known for hosting celebrated New Year’s Eve parties.
Her theory was challenged only weeks later by a 100-year-old man who had never consumed alcohol and exercised daily, usually through golf. He joked that he was in such good condition he looked 10 years younger than his son.
Yet the pair shared several characteristics. Both had enjoyed their working lives, happy marriages, close relationships with their children and strong circles of friends.
Most significantly, both independently identified the same guiding principle when asked about the secret to their longevity: they did not allow problems to overwhelm them.
Neither had been spared bereavement, financial difficulty or other serious concerns. Instead, they treated problems as matters to be assessed, acted upon where possible and then left behind when no further action was warranted.
How chronic stress affects physical health
The idea that prolonged psychological stress can damage physical health is not simply a wellness theory. Evidence indicates that chronic stress affects the nervous, hormonal and immune systems and is associated with a higher risk of several illnesses, particularly cardiovascular disease.
One notable experiment, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1991, exposed 420 healthy adults in quarantine to low doses of respiratory viruses. Their stress levels were assessed before they were monitored for symptoms including sneezing, congestion, a runny nose, sore throat and coughing.
About 27 per cent of those in the lowest-stress group developed a clinical cold, compared with roughly 47 per cent of those experiencing the highest stress. Infection occurred in about 74 per cent of the lowest-stress group and 90 per cent of the highest-stress group.
A separate study published in The Lancet in 1995 compared 13 women caring for relatives with Alzheimer’s disease with 13 people in a control group. After each participant received an identical 3.5mm skin biopsy wound, the carers’ injuries took about 24 per cent longer to heal.
At the most extreme end of the scale is karoshi, a Japanese term generally translated as “death from overwork”. Japanese authorities recognise deaths linked to excessive working hours, including those involving cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The experiences of the two centenarians suggest that a long life cannot be reduced to one prescription. Their diets, attitudes to alcohol and approaches to exercise were markedly different, but both maintained close relationships and resisted allowing worry to dominate their lives.
Rest and time spent doing something enjoyable can help soothe strained nerves and reduce stress hormones. Exercise, meanwhile, can also provide an antidote to stress for people who spend too long sitting still.
Their example may not reveal a single secret to longevity, but it does point to a way of living: deal with what can be dealt with, accept what cannot, and avoid allowing worry to consume the life being lived.
