A new study confirms what many have long suspected: Being elected to high office accelerates the aging process and can lead to an early death.

Previous research has suggested that U.S. presidents age more quickly than average citizens. Now a group of Harvard researchers has published a study in this month’s British Medical Journal that attempts to isolate the effect of winning and serving as head of state. Their conclusion: “Election to head of government is associated with a substantial increase in mortality risk compared with candidates in national elections who never served.”