Researchers from Duke University have found that hostility and depression can harm a man’s immune system and increase the risk of heart disease. Negative emotional states can also increase a man’s risk of diabetes, chronic inflammation, and high blood pressure.
Hostile, angry, and depressed people are more likely to have increased levels of C3 — an immune system protein associated with chronic inflammation. Elevated C3 levels have been connected to heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
The Duke University study tracked more than three hundred male Vietnam veterans over a decade — these study participants were part of a larger study on the effects of Agent Orange. Between 1992 and 2002, the study participants underwent standard psychological testing to assess levels of hostility, anger, and depression. Three blood samples from each participant were tested during the ten year period.
Researchers looked at C3 and C4 levels in the blood. C4 is another protein produced by the immune system when inflammation is present — as a response to injury or infection. Men who showed the highest levels of hostility, anger, and depression showed a more than seven percent increase in C3 levels over the decade. C4 levels did not change. Men with low levels of hostility, anger, and depression showed no change in C3 or C4 levels over the ten year span.
Other factors that could influence C3 levels — like age, race, smoking, alcohol use, and BMI — did not change the amount of protein in the blood. Mental state seemed to have the largest impact on how the body deals with inflammation. Researchers believe that the greater stress experienced by people who are depressed or angry can influence the way the body functions over time. Reducing anger and hostility and dealing with depression may help reduce C3 levels in the body. Psychological therapy may not prevent inflammation, but it couldn’t hurt.