Low Stress Resilience in Adolescents Linked to 50 Percent Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Young men who have a low resistance to stress may have up to a 50 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research from Stanford University.

While stress in adulthood has been associated with higher diabetes risk, fewer studies have examined how stress resilience in children can affect health later in life.

The current research included over 1 million men who had served in the military in Sweden during 1969 to 1997. The men were given psychological assesments for stress resilence, and researchers followed up to track diagnoses of type 2 diabetes during 1987-2012.

Stress = unhealthy behaviors?

The study found that low stress resilience was linked to increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes - even after the researchers adjusted for body mass index, family history, and socioeconomic factors that could have influenced diabetes risk.

While the link between stress resilience and diabetes is complex, people who have a hard time coping with stress may be more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, inactivity, or consuming a diet high in junk food, the researchers explained. However, other physiological factors may also be involved.

"These findings suggest that psychosocial function and ability to cope with stress may play an important long-term role in aetiological pathways for type 2 diabetes," the researchers said. "Additional studies will be needed to elucidate the specific underlying causal factors, which may help inform more effective preventive interventions across the lifespan."

Source: Science Daily