A little stress boosts immune system (but we stress, “little”)
As with red wine, stress can be good for you in moderation. But also as with red wine, too much for too long will kill you.
So go the findings of study by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Kentucky, who reviewed nearly 300 research papers covering 19,000 people.
Stressful situations that lasted only short periods appeared to tap into the primeval ‘fight or flight’ response, which dates back to when early man was threatened by predators.
This response benefited the person by boosting their body’s natural front-line defence against infections from traumas such as bites and scrapes.
But long-term anxiety had the opposite effect. Situations that caused permanent stress and turned the person’s world upside down were damaging to health.