Study: Do you know which the most harmful stress to health is, that creates series of bad consequences?
Financial stress is the most damaging to an individual's health and general well-being, accelerates the aging process, affects health biomarkers and has a stronger effect on mental health compared to the consequences of grieving an illness, severe loss or divorce, according to a new study by British scientists.
Almost 5,000 adults aged 50 and over took part in the British study, which was carried out by scientists from University College London (UCL) and King's College, who said their analysis was the first to investigate how they differed from types of chronic health-related stress in older age groups.
A nationally
representative study confirmed that financial stress is associated with
long-term changes in key health indicators, such as the immune, nervous and
hormonal systems.
They compared the six most common stress
factors
Of all the six
most common stressors studied by the British scientists, namely financial
stress, caring for a seriously ill or disabled person, disability, bereavement
in the family, illness and divorce, financial stress was found to be the most
damaging factor associated with the most risky health outcomes.
This was
determined by examining four biomarkers in the blood – cortisol (a hormone
produced in response to stress), C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). All of these are immune factors
associated with the development of stress, the development of inflammation, and
aging, while IGF-1 is associated with both aging and longevity.
The study found
that study participants who were stressed about their financial situation alone
were 60 percent more likely to develop a high-risk health profile after four
years.
For each additional stressful situation, such as divorce, that probability jumped an additional 19 percent.
The observed
relationship held regardless of the genetics, socioeconomic factors, age or
gender of the participants, or their lifestyle.
The study also
found that financial stress, severe loss, and long-term illness most strongly
influenced changes in immune and neuroendocrine biomarkers, suggesting a
continuing physical effect of chronic stress.
Another
conclusion of British scientists is that chronic stress can cause hormonal
changes and immune reactions, which can affect the worsening of physical and
mental health problems.
Epidemiologist
Odessa Hamilton from UCL highlighted the invasive impact of financial stress on
various aspects of life, eventually manifesting in some cases as family
conflict, social exclusion, homelessness or hunger.
Although the
British study does not directly link stress and long-term health problems, it
does highlight the huge impact stress has on the aging body.
Comments
Post a Comment