Chronic stress can affect nearly all parts of your body, including your brain and heart, heart, stomach, stomach, and muscles. The stress can cause high blood pressure and heart disease. American Psychological Association. An unfavorable side effect of chronic stress is high cholesterol. According to a 2017 research paperPublished in Medicine. This lifestyle factor, it turns out can raise LDL and triglyceride while decreasing HDL cholesterol. It can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and other lipid disorders if it is not addressed.
Although researchers aren’t able to fully understand the relationship between high cholesterol and stress, there are many theories. According to reports, one possible explanation could be that acute stress causes blood concentration to increase, which can temporarily raise cholesterol levels. 2002 studyPsychosomatic medicine. According to Psychosomatic Medicine, chronic stress can lead to food cravings and increased appetite. This can cause weight gain. Harvard Medical School. When you feel stressed, you may reach for comfort foods like cookies and pizza. This can increase your cholesterol.
Chronic stress may promote inflammation. This can increase the risk for hypercholesterolemia in those with stress-related illnesses, according to2017 researchPublished in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. On the positive side, it’s possible to manage stress through yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and lifestyle changes. Exercise can also help calm the mind and improve blood lipids.Harvard Medical School.