Depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing process in our cells, according to a study.

Lab tests showed cells looked biologically older in people who were severely depressed or who had been in the past.

These visible differences in a measure of cell ageing called telomere length couldn’t be explained by other factors, such as whether a person smoked.

Experts already know that people with major depression are at increased risk of age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

This might be partly down to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as alcohol use and physical inactivity.

Read the full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24897247