Data linking high anxious arousal and inflammation with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes further highlights the importance of treating behavioral and physical health in concert.
In further evidence that behavioral health cannot be excluded from the focus on improving population health, a recent study from Rice University details the link between anxiety, stress, and type 2 diabetes for the first time.
Published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, the study establishes what it calls a "metabolic chain reaction" that starts with low attention control, leaving a person vulnerable to tempting or distracting information, objects, thoughts, or activities.
Related: Forcing the Conversation on Behavioral Health
Individuals who perform poorly on measures of the executive function of inhibition have higher anxious arousal in comparison to those with better performance. High anxious arousal is associated with a pro-inflammatory response, according to the study abstract.
Such vulnerability leads to more frequent anxiety and anxiety is known to activate a metabolic pathway responsible for the production of a pro-inflammatory cytokines, or signaling proteins.
IL-6 is a biomarker of acute and chronic stress that has been associated with a higher likelihood of diabetes and high blood glucose.
Related: Mental Health Programs Gaining Momentum
The Rice study further highlight the importance of treating behavioral and physical health in concert, measured levels of both blood glucose and interleukin 6, a protein the body produces to stimulate immune response and healing.
Researchers have suspected a link between anxiety and poor health, including diabetes, for many years but until now, none has detailed the biological pathway responsible, says study lead author Kyle Murdock, a postdoctoral research fellow in psychology at Rice.
The researchers listed several possible interventions, including mindfulness therapy, stimulant or anti-inflammatory medications and cognitive behavioral therapy. "Research shows that people who practice mindfulness do better on the inhibition tests over time," Murdock said.