Anxiety, Stress, And Sleeplessness Bring On Diabetes In Men

Psychological trouble, expressed in terms of anxiety, depressiondefine, and sleeplessness, can directly increase the risk of men developing diabetes, the findings of a new study showed. Conducted by Swedish researchers, it showed that men under stress were at more than twice the risk of developing type II diabetes than their happier counterparts.

The study, however, could not trace any such link in women.

In an article published in Diabetic Medicine, the researchers said that stress could bring on diabetes by influencing the brain’s role in releasing hormonesdefine. The brain’s role in setting off certain behavioral responses, such as unhealthy eating and exercise patterns, could also explain the linkage between a depressed state of mind and diabetes.

However the intriguing part that the study came up with was the fact that the same levels of stress do not similarly elevate the risk of diabetes among women. The assumption here is that women release their pent-up feelings more freely, thus preventing further physical damage.

Speaking about the study’s findings, Dr. Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes U.K., said, “It is intriguing that the increased risk of diabetes occurs in men only and it would be interesting to find out why. The results suggest that it could be due to a hormonal or behavioral influence.”

"We already know from previous studies that stress is considered to be a risk factor for type II diabetes and others have looked at the link between sleep disorders, such as insomnia, and the condition. This research appears to confirm that there might be something in this,” Dr. Frame added.

The study scrutinized 2,127 men born between 1938 and 1957 and 3,100 women. The men, with normal blood glucose levels at the beginning of the study, were assessed for symptoms of any psychological trouble by gauging levels of anxiety, insomnia, depressiondefine, and the like.

After a lapse of eight to 10 years, the men were tested for diabetes. Those with the highest levels of mental distress were seen to be 2.2 times more prone to diabetes than the ones with the lowest levels.

The study also showed that the link was independent of any other factors such as age, body mass indexdefine, family history of diabetes, smoking, physical activity levels, and the like.

In the women assessed in the same study, there was no apparent distinction in the increased risk of diabetes among those with high and low levels of psychological distress.

Reacting to the findings, Study leader Prof. Anders Ekbom from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, said stress had always been linked to heart disease; but its relation with diabetes has now been firmly established.

"The link could be a result of the way psychological distress affects the brain's role in regulating hormones or perhaps because depression influences a person's diet and level of physical activity in a negative way,” Dr. Ekbom said.

That women in similar psychological problems are not as much vulnerable to the risk of diabetes could be explained by their more communicative natures, according to Dr. Ekbom.

"While women communicate symptoms of distress and depression, men are more unwilling to admit such feelings and tend to cope through drinking, drug use and other private activities or actions,” Dr. Ekbom said.

In another study, a research team at the University of Newcastle concluded that walking for 45 minutes a day can go a long way in controlling diabetes. As of now, there are currently 2.3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and an estimated 500,000 people who have not yet been diagnosed in the U.K. alone.