If we needed yet another link between mental health and physical health to highlight how both are equal, we have one, as scientists have linked anxiety and stress to the likelihood of death as a result of liver disease.
The University of Edinburgh has undertook a ten year study which looked at data from over 165,000 people, and revealed the link, which would be startling if there had not already been a lot of breakthroughs in understanding the links between the body and the mind.
Over the decade, the health of the participants was tracked, and among other things, causes of death of those who did die during the time, and stress and depression indicators were recorded.
For those who had these signs of mental health issues, death from liver disease was more likely.
The data still pointed to this conclusion even when it was adjusted for factors such as drinking too much alcohol and being overweight.
However, this data comparison did not highlight any reasons as to why there would be this link. However, while other, previous studies have linked stress with risk of cardiovascular disease, raised blood pressure and obesity which could lead to liver disease, this data indicates that there is a direct link between the liver and stress.
All this means that it is ever more important to be able to deal with your stress, actively work to remove unnecessary stressors from your life, and use stress management techniques like mindfulness to deal with your stress and depression in a healthy way.
