How mental stress affects physical health

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] A new study finds that stress appears to increase a person's chance of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of unhealthy factors that together increase the risk of serious problems.

Inflammation caused by a person's stress levels can make them more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, just as their lifestyle and genetic factors can also contribute to the risk, researchers say.

As a result, the researchers concluded that simple stress-reduction techniques may be a way to help people improve their health as they enter midlife.

"There are many variables that affect metabolic syndrome, some we can't change, but some we can," said Jasmeet Hayes, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.

"Everyone experiences stress, and stress management is a modifiable factor that is cost-effective and something people can do in their daily lives without the involvement of a medical professional," Hayes added.

At least three in five people with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of chronic health problems such as diabetes or heart disease.

Researchers say these factors include excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, low HDL "good" cholesterol and high blood sugar or "bad" triglyceride levels.

For the study, researchers analyzed medical data from nearly 650 people participating in the American Midlife Health Study. The study gathered information about participants' stress levels, blood markers of inflammation and risk factors for metabolic syndrome.

"There aren't many studies that look at all three variables at the same time," said lead researcher Savana Jurgens, a graduate student in psychology in Hayes' lab. "There are a lot of studies showing that stress is linked to inflammation, inflammation is linked to metabolic syndrome, and stress is linked to metabolic syndrome. But it's rare to put all these pieces together."

The analysis showed that stress was indeed significantly associated with metabolic syndrome.

Additionally, the researchers found that inflammation explained more than half of this association—nearly 62 percent, to be precise.

"Perceived stress plays a small role in metabolic syndrome, but inflammation explains a lot of it," Jurgens said.

Other factors include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, poor sleep quality, low income, older age and female gender, the researchers said.

However, researchers believe that since an estimated one-third of U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, every factor contributing to this health crisis must be considered.

"People think stress is a mental health condition, that it's all psychological. It's not. Chronic stress can have real physical effects," Hayes said. "It could be inflammation, it could be metabolic syndrome or some other cause. It's another reminder."

Future research will look more closely at the specific effects of stress on metabolic syndrome and whether stress management can reduce inflammation.

The new report was recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity—Health.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)