Inflammation

[Ubertino]

Negative thinking linked to increased inflammation

Published on 15 March 2013

People with a habit of dwelling on negative events may experience increased levels of inflammation in their bodies, new research suggests.

Inflammation is involved in a number of health complaints, including heart disease, autoimmune conditions and inflammatory joint diseases.

One marker of tissue inflammation is C-reactive protein, which is produced as part of the immune system's initial inflammatory response.

Researchers at Ohio University found that people who were asked to think about a stressful incident experienced increases in their levels of C-reactive protein.

The study involved 34 healthy young women and revealed that levels of C-reactive protein continued to rise for at least an hour after the stressful event among those who dwelt on it, whereas the marker quickly started to return to normal in those who focused on nicer thoughts.

Lead author Dr Pegga Zoccola, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, said: "More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various disorders and conditions.

"The immune system plays an important role in various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases."

Researchers at the university are now continuing to study the effects of rumination on other markers of inflammation and in population groups that are particularly prone to dwelling on negative thoughts, such as older people.

A spokesman for Arthritis Research UK said the study had looked at very small numbers of patients and was unpublished. "It's an interesting concept, but is still fairly speculative, and these results need to be replicated in larger numbers of people," he added.

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/news/general-news/2013/march/negative-thinking-linked-to-increased-inflammation.aspx