A recent study, published in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity—Health, has shed new light on the complex interplay between stress, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome.
Led by Jasmeet Hayes, an associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University, the research delves into how stress contributes to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that heighten the risk of serious health issues like heart disease and diabetes.
The study uniquely focuses on midlife individuals, a crucial period for determining who will experience accelerated aging and associated health complications. This age group is particularly susceptible to stress-related health impacts.
According to Hayes, while some factors influencing metabolic syndrome are beyond our control, stress management is a modifiable and cost-effective strategy that can be implemented in daily life without professional medical intervention.
Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when an individual has at least three out of five risk factors: excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, high fasting blood glucose, and elevated triglycerides.
This condition, also known as insulin resistance syndrome, affects about one-third of American adults.
Savana Jurgens, a psychology graduate student in Hayes’ lab, utilized data from the national survey “Midlife in the United States.”
The team analyzed responses from 648 participants (average age 52), focusing on their reported stress levels, blood biomarkers for inflammation, and physical exam results related to metabolic syndrome risk factors.
The study is noteworthy for examining the relationship between stress, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome concurrently, a rare approach in this field.
Inflammation scores were calculated using biomarkers like IL-6, C-reactive protein, E-selectin, ICAM-1, and fibrinogen.
The findings revealed that stress has a significant relationship with metabolic syndrome, with inflammation accounting for over 61.5% of this connection.
This discovery highlights the substantial role inflammation plays in the impact of stress on metabolic health.
These results underscore the importance of considering stress as more than just a mental health issue. Chronic stress has tangible physical effects, including inflammation and metabolic syndrome, among others.
Recognizing this relationship is crucial, given the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the adult population.
The study’s insights pave the way for future research to investigate the causal effects of stress on metabolic syndrome and to evaluate the most effective stress management techniques for reducing inflammation.
The ultimate goal is to develop strategies that lower the risk of metabolic syndrome and improve overall biological health.
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The research findings can be found in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity—Health.
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