Interesting article
WASHINGTON — Scientists have identified the first direct link between stress and aging, a finding that could explain why intense, long-term emotional strain can make people get sick and grow old prematurely.
Chronic stress appears to hasten the shriveling of the tips of the bundles of genes inside cells, which shortens their life span and speeds the body's deterioration, according to a small but first-of-its-kind study involving mothers caring for chronically ill children
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002104209_stress30.html