Australian researchers said today they had scientifically proven a long-suspected link between emotional stress and illnesses ranging from common cold to cancer. The group from Sydney’s Garvan Institute found that a hormone released into the body during times of stress, neuropeptide Y (NPY), undermined the body’s immune system and literally made you sick. “Until now there has mostly been circumstantial evidence of a link between the brain and the immune system, but now we have that connection,” said Ms Fabienne Mackay. “During periods of stress, nerves release a lot of NPY and it gets into the bloodstream, where it inhibits the cells in the immune system that look out for and destroy pathogens in the body,” she added. “That stress makes you sick is no longer a myth and we need to take it seriously.” The group’s findings were published in today’s edition of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
AFP December 4, 2005