Being put under mild pressure reduces dementia and helps you live longer, scientists say
Scientists have found that when tiny pieces of DNA were put under stress, the protein which builds them was strengthened
A LITTLE bit of stress can help you live longer and reduce the risk of dementia, scientists say.
Being put under mild pressure boosts resilience, protects cells against ageing and staves off illness.
But too much is bad, upping the risk of heart attacks and other illness.
Researchers found putting mitochondria, the tiny bits of DNA which power cells, under stress in tape- worms strengthened the protein which builds them.
This, in turn, suppresses damage that leads to a host of devastating illnesses including dementia, Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases and motor neurone disease.
Prof Richard Morimoto, of Chicago’s Northwestern University, said: “The stress signal is interpreted as a survival strategy. It makes the animals stress-resistant.”
Prof Morimoto said: "I never would have guessed this - a low stress signal resets the organismal lifespan profoundly.
"What we are learning is some of these stress signals are interpreted by the organism as a way to reset itself and to live longer.
