Psychological Stress & Your Health
How Tension Affects Breast Cancer, Heart Disease, and Impotence
New research shows how psychological stress hormones physically affect breast cancer, heart health, and impotence. Plus, links to articles about coping with stress.
Past studies have revealed how psychological stress affects your health – but new research shows biological links between tension and breast cancer. These studies offer new insights into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, heart disease, and impotence.
Psychological Stress and Breast Cancer
Stress hormones may repress cancer-fighting genes, which leads to an increased risk of breast cancer. Queen’s University researchers found a specific biological link between breast cancer and psychological stress. Though the relationship between stress and cancer risk was documented before, this is the first time a biological link was found.
“The knowledge gained through this research may help us identify genetic and biological markers that could tell us whether an individual woman is at increased risk of breast cancer due to stress,” says biochemist Christopher Mueller. “If we can develop a method of pinpointing those who may be particularly susceptible to the effects of hydrocortisone, we may be able to support them in taking steps to reduce their risk.” The treatment of breast cancer may be improved by this new information on psychological stress and cancer.
Psychological Stress and Heart Disease
Researchers from the American Academy of Physicians found that people dealing with long-term psychological stress have increased chances of developing heart disease than those with low or moderate stress levels.
"Stroke is among the leading causes of long-term disability and death worldwide," said study author Paul Surtees, PhD, of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. "Understanding the mechanisms by which overall emotional health may increase stroke risk may inform stroke prevention and help identify those at increased stroke risk."
These researchers found that psychological stress is linked to an increased link of stroke. The other factors in the research participants’ lives – smoking, obesity, previous heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of stroke – didn’t affect the risk of stroke as much as psychological stress did.
Psychological Stress and Impotence
A survey by the Saudi Society of Andrology and Male Infertility found that 75% of male impotence or erectile dysfunction cases were caused by psychological stress. To complicate matters, impotence is often accompanied by feelings of frustration, fear of failure, and depression. Those negative feelings increase psychological stress, which can lead to more experience with erectile dysfunction.
Impotence has also been linked to a risk of heart disease. The poor blood circulation in men with erectile dysfunction could be an advance sign of poor heart health, say Swedish researchers.
To cope with stress, try these links:
If you found Psychological Stress & Your Health helpful, you might be interested in the research findings about Personality and Cancer Risk.
Sources: Queen's University (2008, March 9). Severe Psychological Stress May Be Linked To Breast Cancer. ScienceDaily.
American Academy of Neurology (2008, March 4). Psychological Distress, Not Depression, Linked To Increased Risk Of Stroke. ScienceDaily.
