Extra Stress Stresses Immune System Too
(NY, Reuters Health, 6/30/03)

Dr. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, a psychiatry professor at Ohio State University, and team, monitored the interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels of healthy people whose average age was 71 at the start of the six-year study. Of the 225 subjects, 119 were taking care of ill spouses (who had dementia) about 10 hours per day. According to periodic tests, the caregivers experienced more stress and loneliness than their peers and also had higher IL-6 levels. Since elevated levels of IL-6 are associated with inflammation and age-related illness - like heart disease, diabetes and cancer -- .the scientists concluded that older people who are under chronic stress, like these caregivers, are at greater risk for illness.