Impact Of Stress On Health

KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There is no doubt that stress can have a negative impact on our overall health.

It is very important to fight stress and do all we can to minimize this. Of course it is much easier said than done.

The news is from a Swedish study. The news is somehat dramatic and it shows a link: a stressed-out young man is more likely to become a diabetic middle-aged man. In the study, 18-year-old males with low resistance to stress were 50% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in their forties than their counterparts with high resistance to stress.

The study was performed at Stanford and there is not a direct link—it is more of an association.  The researchers could not explain a reason why. The mechanisms by which stress resilience may influence the development of type 2 diabetes are complex and involve unhealthy lifestyle behaviors as well as other psychosocial factors. The most logical way to look at this is it makes sense to cut down on stress as soon as you can and in whatever ways possible. This latest report emphasizes the psychological-physical connection.