# Researchers link stress, infection



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Researchers link stress, infectionSYDNEY, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Researchers in Australia have discovered the biochemical link between stress and physical illness. "Most of us expect to come down with a cold or other illness when we are under pressure, but until now we have mostly had circumstantial evidence for a link between the brain and the immune system", said Fabienne Mackay of the Garvan Institute. Working with mice, Mackay and her colleagues discovered that nerves at times of stress release neuropeptide Y, a hormone that prevents the cells of the immune system from functioning properly. That leaves the body more vulnerable to infection. That explains why elite athletes, who are under considerable physical and emotional stress, are prone to illness in spite of their good condition. Under normal conditions, small amounts of NPY enable immune system cells to function. But large amounts kill the attack cells that go after pathogens.


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