A viral or bacterial infection. It’s called infectious stress. A stressful situation. It’s called psychological stress. In both situations, blood glucose, i.e. blood sugar, increases. In the short term, it helps us fight.
In the long term, stress destroys precisely the ability to fight. And the blood sugar increases pathologically.
An infection with a virus. Or with a bacterium. White blood cells, called leukocytes, enter the fray. And they need energy. Energy is provided by blood sugar. Blood sugar. For this reason, in any infection, blood sugar rises a little.
The human body secretes inflammatory substances called cytokines. They oppose the hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas. That is, the hormone that lowers blood sugar.
It is one of the spectacular biological events. By which we fight against the aggressors. Against viruses, bacteria or fungi in the environment. That is, we struggle to overcome an infectious stress.
fight or flight They are the only two possibilities we know in the face of danger.
We are now talking about psychological stress. And, in this case, blood sugar rises slightly. Why? We need energy, meaning blood sugar. Let’s fight. Or run away.
The car is coming towards us. We run away. I just felt acute, adaptive stress. In which we were effective. But chronic stress lasts for days. You may feel it at work. It discharges the hormone cortisol in large quantities. Increases blood sugar.
Dr. Antonela Burlacu, primary endocrinologist: “Secreting cortisol constantly. Cortisol has receptors at the cellular DNA level, and that’s why it modifies carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, causes disorders on the thyroid”.
Chronic stress does not occur to us, it destroys the human immune system.
Dr. Brândușa Petruțescu, primary immunologist: “It acts on the cells of the immune system, the so-called T lymphocytes, and reduces their lifespan and decreases their number as well. A low number of lymphocytes means they can no longer effectively mount a response, like a decimated army and the enemy proliferates and invades the body.”
Long-term stress hormones are also received as signals by cells of the immune system. Fractures caused by chronic stress don’t hurt. Immune cells are not innervated, so they don’t hurt. Instead, viral infections often occur. Which can be followed by bacterial infections. This is why a stressful day should end with a walk. A stressful moment, with a -forced- outdoor break.
Source: Pro TV
Publication date: 26-03-2023 00:00
