Financial stress leads to a greater chance of illness.
Financial stress increases a person's chance of illness
A new study from University College London (UCL) discovered that interactions between the immune, nervous and endocrine systems were worse in people experiencing sudden and ongoing money worries.
The three systems need to communicate well for the body to remain in good health and disruption has been linked to conditions varying from heart disease to depression.
The boffins explained how the body's reaction to stress is identical to that of sickness as similar pathways in the immune system are activated.
Odessa Hamilton, a PhD candidate who led the study, said: "When the immune and neuroendocrine systems function well together, homeostasis is maintained and health is preserved. But chronic stress can disrupt this biological exchange and lead to disease.
"We found that financial stress was most detrimental to biological health, although more research is needed to establish this for certain. This may be because this form of stress can invade many aspects of our lives, leading to family conflict, social exclusion, and even hunger or homelessness."