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(KSL News) New findings on chronic stress reveal how Alzheimer's disease steals more than memories. The disease may also shorten the lives of caregivers.
Researchers from Ohio State University looked at links between psychological stress and a weakened immune system.
They found the disease can cause such chronic stress in caregivers that their lives are cut short by four to eight years.
Researchers looked at the DNA of caregivers and non-caregivers. They focused on telomeres, that's the genetic material found at the end of a chromosome. They shorten with age, but in caregivers, they shorten more quickly.
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