Stress is a killer and is implicated in numerous deadly conditions including high blood pressure and heart attacks. Now scientists have biological evidence that common, everyday stress can trigger cancer.
A new study by Yale University School of Medicine and Fudan University in China shows that stress causes signals to be sent to mutant genes that make them turn cancerous. The study zeroed in on two genes often involved in human cancers, one called RAS, which is associated with 30 percent of cancers, and the other called “scribble,” which lets cancer develop when it is defective.
Neither gene can cause cancer by itself. However, stress causes signaling proteins to travel between the mutant cells, causing tumors to grow and spread. Before this study — which for the first time revealed there was communication between cells initiated by stress — scientists believed mutations had to occur within the individual cell for tumors to develop.
The study involved fruit flies, but in their paper published in Nature, the scientists pointed out that the same signaling pathways exist in humans. “Similar co-operative mechanisms could have a role in the development of human cancers,” they wrote.
Study leader Tian Xu, a geneticist at Yale, said in statement in the Telegraph, “A lot of different conditions can trigger stress signaling — physical stress, emotional stress, infections, inflammation — all these things. Reducing stress is always good advice.”
Fortunately, you can take steps to manage stress. Try these tips from WebMD:
• Learn and practice relaxation techniques.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get enough sleep.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Keep a positive attitude.
• Accept that there are things you can't control.
• Learn to manage your time effectively
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