A positive attitude is one of the best ways to fight cancer. A recent study found that the death rate among anxious and depressed cancer patients is higher than among more positive-minded patients.
Scientists from University College London and the University of Edinburgh have published the results of 16 experiments in which 163 thousand people participated. With the help of tests, the influence of anxiety and withdrawal on the development of the disease was clarified.
As a result, it turned out that mortality among patients experiencing depression due to their diagnosis is 32 percent higher.
The mood of patients has a huge impact on the development of some types of cancer. Mortality among patients with leukemia due to depression and anxiety increased almost fourfold. Due to the depressed state, the chance of survival in patients with prostate, pancreas or esophagus cancer was halved.
David Batty, one of the study's authors at University College London, said that "the results showed that patients who were not depressed were much more likely to cope with bowel, prostate, pancreatic or esophageal cancer." Betty also noted that the study indirectly proves the link between mental and physical health.
Previous tests have revealed the effect of mental problems on heart disease, but until now, it was not known how mood affects cancer.
To find out, among the participants in the experiment, for an average of 9.5 years, a questionnaire was conducted on the topic of their internal state. During the research, more than 4 thousand people died from cancer.
Data from patients who died during the first five years of the study were not included, as the cause of the depression in these patients was developing disease. The influence of such factors was studied. such as age, gender, educational level, social status, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption. Despite the difference in these indicators, a positive attitude had a positive effect on the condition of all patients.
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Last week, scientists at Harvard University found that people who have increased activity in the amygdala associated with stress responses are more likely to develop heart disease.
The amygdala signals the bone marrow to temporarily increase the white blood cell count in the blood, which resists infection and repairs damage.
This helps the body to cope with pain, for example, to recover from a blow. The role of this mechanism in human life in ancient times was very significant.
Modern science, however, has established that due to prolonged stress, the number of white blood cells in the blood becomes excessive, and they clog the vessels, leading to diseases of the cardiovascular system.
The authors of the new study suggest that chronic stress reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and promotes the growth and development of tumors. An experiment conducted by scientists from Yale University on fruit flies proved the effect of stress on the development of cancer.
The findings of the study were published in the British Medical Journal.
Cancer - five alarms:
1. Sharp weight loss without dieting.
2. Presence of blood in stool or urine.
3. Coughing up blood.
4. Swelling in the chest, groin, testicles, neck or armpit.
5. Sharp unreasonable pain or aches.
Anton Komarov
