Stress and the development of diabetes

What is it about?

While much research has shown that exposure to chronic stress makes diabetes management more difficult, there is surprisingly little research on whether chronic exposure to stressors increases the risk of developing diabetes in the first place. The research literature suggests that severe, but not mild, mental health problems increase the risk of developing diabetes as does stressful work conditions, living in poverty as an adult or a child and being a racial or ethnic minority. The likely process that leads to diabetes is chronic activation of the body's stress response.

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Why is it important?

Diabetes prevention currently focuses almost exclusively on individual behaviour change. It would be more effective if this relationship to the body's stress response was recognised, especially social disparity. Intervention programmes that focused on the social factors that lead to poorer health should be part of a comprehensive approach to diabetes prevention.

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