Stress May Weaken Flu Shot Protection
 (Reuters, 4/2/04)

Dr. Gregory Miller at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and team, had 83 healthy college students record their stress levels before and after receiving a flu shot, and take saliva samples that were tested for cortisol, a stress hormone. As expected, the students typically responded by producing antibodies to the flu strains present in the vaccines; however, students who were highly stressed during the 10 days following the shot were slower to produce antibodies to the New Caledonia variety of flu.