SNEAKY SIDE EFFECTS OF STRESS

Experts warn that chronic anxiety has more than a psychological effect—it can trigger a collective group of physical health concerns known as metabolic syndrome. But these simple strategies tame stress—and the health risks that come with it

- MELISSA SORRELLS

AS IF WE DIDN’T have enough to stress about, new research shows that day-to-day tension and worry can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and even weight gain—a cluster of symptoms doctors call metabolic syndrome. “There are many variables that influence metabolic syndrome, and stress is one of them,” explains study author Jasmeet Hayes, Ph.D., associate professor at Ohio State University. “People think of stress as mental health, that it’s all psychological. It is not,” she asserts. “There are real physical effects to chronic stress.” Mark Hyman, M.D., author of Young Forever, agrees: “Being stressed makes you gain weight and contributes to diabetes and heart disease. Stress impacts our biology in a real, practical way.” How? When we’re stressed, our body pumps out inflammatory hormones, which, if left unchecked, become harmful to many of our internal systems and worsen things like prediabetes and hypertension.