Four to eight years as leader of the free world gave George W.
plenty of wrinkles and gray hairs—but just what are the
presidency’s long-term aging effects? One doctor found that
presidents generally have shorter-than-average lifespans, the
Boston Globe reports, while another pegs two years for every one
spent in the Oval Office. "For eight years in office, they age
16 years,” he argues. But while stress damages blood vessels and
forces the body to avoid producing new hair—resulting in heart
attacks and grays, respectively—other doctors say the numbers
don’t add up. "It's true that when people have the weight of the
world on their shoulders, they may get more wrinkles," one
insists. "But the data that this impacts their health is not
there."