"New research shows that chronic stress changes gene activity in immune cells before they reach the bloodstream. With these changes, the cells are primed to fight an infection or trauma that doesn't actually exist, leading to an overabundance of the inflammation that is linked to many health problems.
"This is not just any stress, but repeated stress that triggers the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the fight-or-flight response, and stimulates the production of new blood cells. While this response is important for survival, prolonged activation over an extended period of time can have negative effects on health....
"What we see in this study is a convergence of animal and human data showing similar genomic responses to adversity," Cole said. "The molecular information from animal research integrates nicely with the human findings in showing a significant up-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes as a consequence of stress – and not just experimental stress, but authentic environmental stressors humans experience in everyday life."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-11-effects-chronic-stress-genes.html
See:
Extract: Reply to Coyne: Genomic analyses are unthwarted
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/45/E4184.extract
A functional genomic perspective on human well-being.
Short on time? Use our Category Search page.
Comments (0)