Low social status 'damages immune function'

Conclusion The negative effect of social deprivation on health has long been recognised. This has often been attributed to an increase in unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, poor diet and being overweight. However, this study looked at a slightly different aspect – observing the effects of social status through relationships with others – and suggesting this may have wider health effects than just influencing our lifestyle and health behaviours. They found that a monkey's rank changed the gene activity of specific types of white blood or immune cell, and altered their numbers. Therefore, social status or social deprivation could directly influence the body's resistance to infection and disease. One of the researchers, Dr. Noah Snyder-Mackler, told the BBC: "It suggests there's something else, not just the behaviours of these individuals, that's leading to poor health. "Our message brings a positive counter to that – there are these other aspects of low status that are outside of the control of individuals that have negative effects on health." These findings are interesting, but even though primates are generally quite similar to humans in both genetic make-up and social interactions, they aren't exactly the same. Nevertheless, these results could help further our understanding of the effects of social factors on health in humans. If social mobility does impact on human health by lowering feelings of self-esteem, there are ot...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news