Stress prematurely weakens the body’s immune system - putting people at greater risk of cancer, heart attacks and infections such as Covid, warns a new study.
Researchers found that traumatic events - such as the death of a loved one - as well as job strain and discrimination accelerate the ageing of the immune system, potentially increasing a person’s risk to a whole range of illnesses including cardiovascular disease.
The American team's findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could help explain disparities in age-related health, including the greater toll of the Covid-19 pandemic on the elderly.
