The effect of exposure to alcohol is not the same for everyone chronic stress.
Those who suffer from its deleterious effects on general health are especially men, and the effect tends to be even more significant as age advances. But it is for everyone, men and women, that in recent years there has been a clear increase in the so-called allostatic load, the accumulation of stressful experiences of daily life. This is indicated by research coordinated by Kirsi Honkalampi of the Institute of clinical medicine at the University of Oslo, and published in the Journal of affective disorders. The researchers also report data from a previous US study showing a general increase in the prevalence of allostatic load of 45 percent from the period 1988-1991 to the period 2015-2018.
And they also identified some factors that contributed to the increase in this load: «Our investigation showed several elements associated with a greater probability of having a high allostatic load» they say in the conclusions of the article. It’s about depressive symptomsbut also of specific socioeconomic factorsjust like theold ageThe male sex, a low level of education and studyor lifestyle factors, such as the tendency to abusing alcohol and lack of exercise». « When the load reaches the point where the neuroendocrine responses required of the organism to counteract stress exceed the available resources, a point of allostatic overloadand the organism begins to be overwhelmed,” the experts write.
How the brain responds to stress
Normally the body has good response capabilities to prolonged stress, thanks to neuroendocrine system, with the involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. During stressful situations thehypothalamusbrain structure that participates in the control of many activities of the organism, such as sleep, hunger, thirst and sex, produces Crf (Corticotropin Releasing Factor), stimulates the gland pituitary gland to produce Acth (adrenocorticotropic hormone), which in turn induces the cortical part of the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids, including cortisol, the main stress hormone. Its function is prepare the body to deal with the stressful condition through a series of actions: increase in blood glucose level, real fuel for the organism, and its consumption by the brain. At the same time they are liberated amino acidsthe building blocks of proteins, and fats, to make them available in the blood as an exceptional source of energy.
What happens when stress lasts too long
This response can continue, keeping the cortisol level abnormally high for a long time. It is a condition that can cause damage to health, favoring the reduction of muscle mass and the development of a number of disorders, such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, mental disorders, cardiovascular diseasesincreased sensitivity to infections For reduction of immune defenses. Ulcers and bleeding may also occur, especially in the stomach and duodenum, due to the harmful action on the mucous membranes of these organs caused by corticosteroids.
Three phases: alarm, resistance, exhaustion
According to the stress factor interaction model (stressor) and organism called «general adaptation syndrome», the biological response to stress occurs in three phases: alarm, resistence, exhaustion. The alarm phase corresponds to the “fight or flight” reaction, which is followed by a resistance phase, more prolonged and characterized by an attempt to adapt to the stressor or stressors that continue to make themselves felt. When stress is prolonged further, it is possible that the phase of resource exhaustion arrives, the body stops fighting, and there can be a compromise in general health.
Immune system
Recent research carried out by an international team and published in the magazine Nature it also shows the complex interaction that exists between stress, immune system and brain. The team, carrying out experiments on mice, discovered that when they have to deal with chronic stressors, they have an increase in specific enzymes in their blood similar to that which occurs in depressive states. From the blood, these enzymes also pass into the brain, altering the functioning of the neurons, and at that point the behavior of the mice also changes because they begin to avoid contact with other members of the group, a behavior that among humans would suggest a depressive attitude. In fact, controls on these substances carried out on human beings have shown that the same alterations are found in people suffering from depression, so much so that the treatment of depressive disorders will also be increasingly targeted towards elements of the immune system, and clinical studies have already been started oriented in this direction.
Tumors
Another important area of exploration on the relationship between stress and general health is in the oncology field. In this case the relationship is one-to-one: lo Chronic stress is considered an element of risk for the development of these pathologies and at the same time a cancer diagnosis represents an element of stress. A recent article published in the journal Cancer Cell shows that stress induces a specific type of white blood cell, i neutrophilsto form network structures that make tissues on organs susceptible to cancer metastasis. A discovery that on the one hand is worrying, but at the same time indicates to researchers a possible target for new treatments against the spread of metastases. Studies initially conducted on animal models, and repeated on humans, also indicate that prolonged periods of stress and depression could alter the body’s immune response and therefore facilitate the progression of some types of cancerWhile it is still in doubt whether they can really have a significant role in inducing their developmentThese are mainly tumors due to viruses, while those due to the action of other carcinogenic stimuli, such as chemical substances, are less susceptible in this sense.
The action of stress would materialize through the influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the effects of which would be felt with a reduction in the immune response, responsible for protecting the organism from the development of tumors. In particular, the activity of the so-called Natural Killer cells and cytotoxic T cells, phagocytosis, and the production of inflammatory cytokines (for example interleukin-2) are reduced, with the consequent compromise of immune surveillance towards tumors.
Genetic heritage
Furthermore, the prolonged condition of stress seems capable of facilitating damage to DNA, so that errors accumulate in its transcription, as well as reducing the spontaneous activity of apoptosis (the “suicide” of cells damaged beyond the possibility of self-repair), phenomena considered possible triggers of some types of tumors. The damage to the DNA is probably also responsible for the action of acceleration of aging processes induced by chronic stress. For some years it has been hypothesized that stress would induce damage to telomeres, segments of DNA which protect the terminal part of the chromosomes and which have the task of reducing the risk of them being chemically degraded. Telomeres are structures that can be thought of a bit like the plastic protectors on shoelaces. Once telomeres are damaged by stress, cell division becomes more difficult, so the body’s ability to generate new cells is reduced. Little by little thereThe stressed organism thus moves towards premature aging. The phenomenon was observed on mothers who had to look after sick children, compared with others who instead had healthy children. The stressed mothers showed telomeres that would be expected to be found in women who were about 10 to 15 years older. Other studies indicate that telomere damage can begin at a young age, even in children, if exposed to high levels of stress, such as family violence or repeated episodes of bullying.
Skin
One of the areas in which there have been studies on the possible relationships between chronic stress and diseases for the longest time is the dermatological one, although unanimous conclusions have never been reached. A recent review published on Brain Behavior and Immunity, indicates that these are relationships mediated by the physiopathological relationships existing between the brain and the skin. «Neuroimaging studies have shown that structures of the limbic system, such as the amygdala and hippocampus, provide altered responses to psychological stress and are implicated in the worsening of skin diseases related to stress” say the authors of the review coordinated by Yujie Wang of the Department of Dermatology of the Central South University of Changsha, China. «Furthermore, stress modulates the activity of the sensitive cerebral cortices, amplifying pain sensations related to the skin».
