High social status strengthens the immune system
Today at 15:14, views: 6669
the answer to the question why rich people on average live better than poor, at first glance may seem simple — many will assume that the first has more opportunities to secure a comfortable living, quality health care, healthy eating and so on. However, wealth often implies a decent position in the social hierarchy and is, according to a recent study, gives the rich another advantage: it turned out that high social status strengthens the immune system.
photo: pixabay.com
the Relationship between the position of the individual in the group hierarchy and its immune system, us scientists from Duke University in Durham have found studying macaques. As it turned out, the monkeys occupied a high position in the hierarchy, were generally healthier, because their body successfully fought off viruses and bacteria, and were less prone to inflammation. Scientists noticed that about 1,600 genes worked in individuals, which experts have observed, in different ways, and many of these genes were associated with immune system.
Experts conducted an experiment in several stages: first, they combined the female monkeys in several groups, allowing them to form a hierarchy within each of them. Then monkeys “redistributed” so that some “higher-status” macaque was on a much lower level of the hierarchy, and some of those who are the first distribution took a low position, in contrast, ascended closer to the top. Following the change in status was followed by changes in the immune system, first and foremost, this is manifested in cases where the body had to actively resist infection.
According to scientists, their observation shows that high social status provides good health, and not Vice versa. The research hope that this knowledge will allow policy makers and sociologists to create a more effective system of social relationships, which by the fact of its existence has had a positive effect on the immune system of people.
Their study, experts published in the journal Science.
No comments:
Post a Comment