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Research into the relationship between the immune system and stress related illness
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- 11During the chronic stress response a hormone called cortisol is released which prevents the growth of natural killer cells; an antibody which helps to fight off infection.
- 22This suggests that people suffering with stress are more likely to become poorly.
- 33Research which supports this assumption was conducted by Kiecolt-Glaser. This was a natural experiment where blood samples were taken from 75 medical students 1 month before exams and during exams.
- 44Immune function was assessed by measuring Natural killer cell activity. She then correlated the results of these two sets of data.
- 55NK levels were significantly reduced in the blood sample taken during exams. This suggests that stress does weaken the immune system leaving people vulnerable to illness.
- 66One limitation of this research is that it only shows a correlation between stress and the level of natural killer cells, not cause and effect.
- 77This means that other factors, such as the lifestyle of students may have been a contributing factor towards have a weaker immune system.
- 88This research therefore only provides limited support for the relationship between the immune system and stress related illness.
- 99Another limitation is that a bias sample was used; the participants were all medical students
- 1010People training to be doctors are unique in the sense that they will be in close proximity to ill people and possible as a result more prone to catching infections
- 1111For this reason the results cannot be generalised to the rest of the population.
- 1212In contrast another study found that stress actually enhances the immune system. However, these studies may not be comparable because they measured stress differently
- 1313The Yerkes Dodson curve could be offered as an alternative explanation;
- 1414this curve would suggest that there is an optimal level of stress, and if you have too much or too little stress your immune system will be weakened.
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