“Stress is the trash of modern life. We all generate it.  But if we don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake our lives.”       -- Dr. Nina Radcliff, M.D.   [13]

One recent study [14] measured how stress anxiety impacts the health outcomes in a group of 1,000 San Franciscans with pre-existing, but stable coronary heart disease (CHD). These individuals were tracked over a 6 year period.

Three hundred seventy-one cardiovascular events occurred during the follow-up period. The most remarkable finding of this study (and remember that all these individuals ALREADY had CHD) was that those individuals who were also diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experienced a 62% higher rate of cardiovascular events. This trend was so dramatic that the authors titled their study: “Scared to death?” [14] This is pretty strong evidence that stress contributed to reduced cardiovascular health and eventual death.

Job Stress

A recent new study reviewed the job stress of bank employees. [15] Researchers tracked the impact of what they term subjective mental workload on employees who must constantly adapt to changing technologies while also being polite to their customers.

Imagine this: You work at a busy Bank, and someone approaches your teller cage on their Smartphone, and then asks YOU to wait while they finish their call. Meanwhile, you see a line of people, restlessly waiting to approach you. Grin and bear it, right?

These neuroscientists found that 78% of these employees suffer from musculoskeletal disorders of the neck (48%), low back (44%) and the upper back (36%) directly attributable to their job stress, and those individuals who worked these jobs more than 10 years (10-20 yr.) were 3 times more likely to suffer from musculoskeletal complaints.

The authors discussed how job activities that demand very high concentration and attention levels, so that they can provide quality service, translated to increased job stress.

Stress Studies

Researchers at the University of Michigan assessed 1,300 married couples, and found a direct relationship between marital stress and increased (prolonged) high blood pressure. [16] Another recent study at the University of Colorado [17] found that marital stress contributes to the onset of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a constellation of disorders that includes central obesity, dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, and poor blood sugar management. MetS also leads to increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Earlier studies at Ohio State University found that couples experiencing marital stress also exhibited reductions in natural immunity. [18] Another study at Yale University provided overwhelming evidence that stress has a detrimental effect on natural killer (NK) cells cyto-toxic activity. [19] This means that “killer” cells lose their capacity for destroying invaders. These researchers also demonstrated that severe, or prolonged stress, was associated with a 50% reduction of NK cell activity. [20] Because NK cells play such a vital role in immune surveillance against viruses and cancer cells, one can ill afford a sustained decrease in this aspect of immune performance.

Another recent study at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health demonstrated that prolonged stress reduces bone density, leading to osteoporosis. [21]

Stress also has a significant impact on the balance of our intestinal microflora. Moore et al. found that “the composition of the intestinal flora was not significantly affected by drastic changes in diet, but statistically significant shifts in the proportions of beneficial species were noted in individuals experiencing prolonged anger or fear stressors”.  This shift in the intestinal milieu leads to increased production and absorption of toxins, and a shift towards production of “metabolites that are potentially cancer producing” [22]

The most recent study of 468 military veterans found a strong association between anger and hostility and telomere shortening. Although this article was tipped towards chemical management of stress, it does provide additional insights into the relationship between stress and disease. [23]

Stress Consequences