The study, led by Stony Brook University in New York, could offer new clues to the long-term physical health effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n
The researchers tested blood samples from 393 WTC responders, collected approximately 18 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks<\/a>, according to a university press release.<\/p>\n THE ‘AGE’ OF YOUR BLOOD COULD PREDICT DEMENTIA RISK, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS<\/a><\/p>\n Out of the sampled responders, 232 were diagnosed with PTSD and 161 were not. Between the two groups, 114 proteins and seven metabolites were significantly different.<\/p>\n Firefighter Gerard McGibbon, of Engine 283 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, prays after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed on September 11, 2001. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n In particular, the researchers detected changes in blood markers linked to brain function, immune activity, energy metabolism, protection against cell damage and how cells communicate and repair tissues.<\/p>\n Also reported were signs of accelerated biological aging<\/a> in multiple organs \u2014 including the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs \u2014 among responders with PTSD.<\/p>\n COMMON VITAMIN MAY INFLUENCE BRAIN AGING IN WAYS SCIENTISTS DIDN’T EXPECT<\/a><\/p>\n These discoveries could help explain why people with long-term PTSD are at greater risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, cognitive decline<\/a> and other age-related illnesses.<\/p>\n “This study found that chronic PTSD is associated<\/a> with long-lasting biological changes throughout the body, affecting multiple organs and biological systems decades after their traumatic exposure,” lead study author Benjamin Luft, director and principal investigator at the Stony Brook WTC Wellness Program, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n “Traumatic experiences can produce lasting biological changes that persist for decades.”<\/p>\n The study reinforces the view that PTSD is a “whole-body illness” rather than simply a mental health disorder<\/a>, he noted.<\/p>\n “Traumatic experiences can produce lasting biological changes that persist for decades,” Luft said. “These changes appear to accelerate aspects of biological aging and may increase the risk of many chronic diseases.”<\/p>\n FOX NEWS’ ERIC SHAWN REVEALS CANCER AND RESPIRATORY ILLNESS FROM 9\/11 TOXIC DUST<\/a><\/p>\n Several proteins that are critical for healthy brain function<\/a> were also altered in those with PTSD, the researchers found.<\/p>\n “Many of these proteins play critical roles in helping brain cells communicate with one another, repair damage and maintain healthy connections<\/a> that support memory and thinking,” Luft said.<\/p>\n A New York firefighter is pictured amid the rubble of the World Trade Center following the 9\/11 attacks in 2001. (Universal History Archive\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The study \u2013 which was funded in part by the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and the National Institutes of Health \u2013 was published in Nature Communications.<\/p>\n Luft said the findings should be viewed with “cautious optimism.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “The research provides compelling evidence that PTSD is associated with long-lasting biological changes throughout the body, including signs of accelerated aging, altered metabolism and changes in proteins involved in brain health,” he said.<\/p>\n “These findings strengthen the growing recognition that PTSD is not simply a mental health disorder<\/a>, but a condition that can have lasting effects on physical health as well.”<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but called the results “fascinating.”<\/p>\n “This speaks to the complex reality that PTSD<\/a> is not an isolated psychiatric event due to emotional trauma alone, but that it is also tied in with physical trauma,” he told Fox News Digital. “The stress is both emotional and physical, and leads directly to immune dysregulation and aging processes.”<\/p>\n “These findings strengthen the growing recognition that PTSD is not simply a mental health disorder, but a condition that can have lasting effects on physical health as well,” the researcher said. (iStock)<\/p>\n “The chronic diseases that resulted from high exposure in the aftermath of the 9\/11 World Trade Center attacks were conjoined in terms of the impact on physical and emotional well-being<\/a>, longevity and effects on multiple organ systems, as well as core metabolic and immunological processes,” the doctor added.<\/p>\n Study limitations<\/p>\n There were some limitations to the findings, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n “Because all measurements were taken at one point in time, the research can only show an association \u2014 not that PTSD directly caused the changes,” Luft noted.<\/p>\n “We are currently doing studies in these patients examining multiple time points to see whether the changes in specific proteins and metabolites precede clinical changes<\/a>.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n Also, because the study was done on a unique population \u2013 World Trade Center responders who experienced very specific trauma and environmental exposures \u2013 the findings may not apply to everyone with PTSD, “such as combat veterans<\/a>, survivors of abuse or people who experienced other types of trauma.”<\/p>\n Several proteins that are critical for healthy brain function were also altered in those with PTSD, the researchers found. (iStock)<\/p>\n Women are not well-represented in the study, comprising only 10% of responders.<\/p>\n “Blood tests cannot tell us exactly what is happening inside the brain,” Luft said. “Although many of the altered proteins are related to brain function, blood measurements are only an indirect reflection of processes occurring in the brain.”<\/p>\n Looking ahead<\/p>\n Additional studies are needed to determine whether these blood markers can predict disease progression or treatment response.<\/p>\n![\"First](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-responders-9-11-wtc.jpg\")
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