Stress has the potential to disrupt your DNA.

How do you respond to stress?

If you find yourself in a traffic jam, do you curse at other drivers or pound the steering wheel? When you get into an argument, do you hit the wall?

Or, when your boss scolds you, do you feel your heart racing as you seethe inside?

These are all indications that stress is negatively affecting your well-being.

In such situations, apart from spoiling your mood, stress is causing damage to the genes in your cells. This is a recent discovery with significant implications...

We have become so accustomed to daily stress that it may appear to be a normal part of life. However, research now demonstrates that this constant pressure can penetrate deep into your cells and actually alter the behavior of your genetic material.

If left unchecked, the end result could be an increase in your waistline and the development of serious illnesses.

Studies investigating these genetic modifications are now focusing on what are known as epigenetic effects – the way stress does not change your fundamental DNA but alters the functioning or "expression" of genes.

Your genetic material does not function in isolation, and the future of your health is not predetermined. Events in your life and your lifestyle choices exert a strong influence on how genes carry out their tasks.

For example, research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that stress directly impacts the functions of microRNA in your cells.

Initially, scientists believed that microRNA were "junk" DNA – leftover genetic material inherited over generations that had lost its original function, similar to items stored in basements, garages, or attics that have not been used for years.

However, it is now known that microRNA play a role in processes that can lead to cells becoming insulin-resistant (a precursor to diabetes) and contribute to metabolic issues resulting in weight gain.²

These alterations in gene expression can also affect your immune system and its ability to combat illnesses.

A study at the University of California, San Diego indicates that a stressful event triggers epigenetic effects that change the functions of innate immunity (the body's general anti-disease response system) and adaptive immunity (cells specialized to combat specific disease threats).

In their experiments, the researchers observed that stress-induced immune responses resembled those seen in individuals infected with disease-causing microbes.³

Researcher Nadejda Beliakova-Bethell notes, "The immune response to stress is akin to the response to pathogens," cautioning that prolonged stress can heighten susceptibility to illnesses.

"...[C]hronic stress or infection leads to immune system exhaustion, diminishing its effectiveness in responding to new stressors or pathogens," she explains.

She further elaborates that persistent stress accumulates negative effects over time, impacting your body as continuous illness would wear it down.

Reducing Stress

One effective method to alleviate stress is to incorporate brief daily mindfulness sessions, encompassing practices such as yoga, gentle stretching, meditation, and listening to calming music. A study at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University revealed that around two months of mindfulness training using these techniques helped alleviate chronic stress among staff in a surgical intensive care unit.⁴

Research like this – combined with findings that suggest meditation can induce epigenetic changes lowering inflammation in the body⁵ – underscores the importance of managing stress before it manages you.

Your local YMCA may offer affordable – or free – courses on stress reduction techniques like these. Additionally, there are numerous yoga classes available nowadays.