2024-01-24 14:56:54
Stress does nothing good, whether on a physical, moral or even biological level. A blood test of nearly 5,000 people shows that stressful life events (like bereavement or financial insecurity) can disrupt biological systems.
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According to a new study led by researchers at theUniversity College London, stressful life events can deteriorate biological health, independent of possible genetic predispositions. The research, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, reveals how experiencing stress over a prolonged period can disrupt communication signals from the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. This disorder is linked to a wide range of mental and physical illnesses, such as depression, schizophrenia or cardiovascular diseases.
The researchers analyzed the blood levels of four biomarkers in more than 4,900 people over the age of 50. Two biomarkers were proteins involved in the innate immune response to inflammation (C-reactive protein and fibrinogenfibrinogen), and the other two were hormones involved in the physiology of the stress response (cortisolcortisol and IGF-1IGF-1). Biomarker activities were classified into groups according to their health risk. The researchers then examined how prior exposure to stressful circumstances might influence the likelihood of being in the highest risk group.
The harmful effect of stress is cumulative
The result: Exposure to general stress — such as having experienced a divorce or bereavement in the past two years — was linked to a 61% increase in the likelihood of being in the high-risk group four years later. late. The effect was cumulative, with each additional stressor increasing this probability by 19%.
Note that participants who only reported financial stress were 59% more likely to belong to this same group four years later. “ This may be because this form of stress can invade many aspects of our lives, leading to family conflict, social exclusion, and even hunger or homelessness. », clarified lead author Odessa S. Hamilton.
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