A little stress can keep you sharp. But when worries never let go, your body starts to pay the price.
Long-term stress disrupts key systems that keep us healthy, for example the immune system, the nervous system, and hormonal balance.
According to researchers at University College London (UCL) published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, chronic stress raises the risk of both heart disease and depression.
What 5,000 blood samples revealed
In the study, UCL researchers followed nearly 5,000 people over age 50 for four years as part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
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They analyzed blood samples, focusing on four biological markers linked to inflammation and stress.
Participants who had experienced major life events, such as divorce or the death of a loved one, were more than 60 percent more likely to fall into the high-risk category for illness.
But one factor stood out above all others: financial hardship.
Money troubles hit hardest
People who reported financial difficulties had almost a 60 percent higher risk of being in the high-risk group for disease, a stronger link than even grief or divorce.
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Lead researcher Odessa S. Hamilton said in a UCL statement that money problems affect so many aspects of life, from family relationships to social isolation, and in some cases, even hunger or homelessness.
She added that more studies are needed to confirm exactly how economic stress impacts the body’s biology.
Source: Forskning.no, and Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
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