A study found that experiencing stress in the form of trauma, chronic stress, acute stress, and discrimination accelerated the aging of the immune system, leading to a weakened immune system that is more prone to infections and at a greater risk of developing cancer and other diseases.
The researchers found that stress such as chronic stress, acute stress, trauma, and discrimination accelerated the aging of the immune system. This was demonstrated through the accelerated depletion of naïve or immature T cells and increased terminally differentiated or mature T cells.
Lifetime trauma and discrimination were associated with accelerated depletion across the two major types of T cells—those that mount an immune attack and those that regulate immune attack. Whereas chronic stress, acute stress event, and stress from everyday discrimination were associated with aging of only one type….