Aging on the basis of adversity IS reversible.

Really amazing stuff in Gabor Mate's latest book, The Myth of Normal: "Our findings literally suggest that racism makes people old." 

Telomeres are regions of DNA that hold the key to aging -- as we age, our telomeres shorten (and therefore we become more prone to illness, cancer, etc.). 

A study in the US compared the length of telomeres of women of the same chronological age. It found that women who had experienced racism were, on average, "seven years more biologically aged" based on the length of their telomeres. 

But then there was hopeful news: Further studies showed that experiences that build stress resilience actually LENGTHEN telomeres. 

In this sense, aging on the basis of adversity IS reversible