Aug 2026· Stress· Vol 29 1, pp.
2723346
· 0 citations· 53 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Findings indicated that Chinese, young women with HS exhibit distinct inflammatory profiles and reduced BDNF levels, suggesting that chronic stress may be associated with increased inflammation and compromised neuronal plasticity, highlighting the need for future longitudinal studies to clarify the long-term impact of stress on mental wellbeing.
Abstract
Psychological stress accelerates aging, increasing morbidity and mortality risks, though the mechanisms behind this relationship are still under investigation. This cross-sectional study explored the link between perceived stress and blood protein profiles by recruiting healthy female subjects (aged 18-35) stratified into high (HS) and low (LS) perceived stress groups according to self-reported subjective questionnaires in Shanghai, China. The HS group displayed a higher tendency of neuroticism along with depression, anxiety, and emotional volatility. The exploratory proteomic analysis of blood samples was performed, evaluating 92 inflammation/immune related proteins using the Olink high-throughput platform. Concurrently, targeted analysis of pre-specified stress-related neurological biomarkers including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and oxytocin were performed using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results demonstrated that the HS group displayed elevated levels of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1, log2FC = 0.565) and sirtuin 2 (SIRT2, log2FC = 0.383). Age-segregated analysis (early young adult (EYA), 18-25 years old; middle young adult (MYA), 25-30 years old; late young adult (LYA), 30-35 years old) revealed that BDNF was decreased in the LYA group and demonstrated a moderate negative correlation with 4E-BP1 and SIRT2. Cytokines interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-10 were also significantly elevated in the LYA group. These findings indicated that Chinese, young women with HS exhibit distinct inflammatory profiles and reduced BDNF levels, suggesting that chronic stress may be associated with increased inflammation and compromised neuronal plasticity, highlighting the need for future longitudinal studies to clarify the long-term impact of stress on mental wellbeing.
BACKGROUND
Few studies explored the association between egg consumption and depression, anxiety, and high psychological distress, and their findings were controversial. Moreover, no investigation was carried out on the association between this dietary item and oxidative stress and inflammation, which are related to psychological disorders. We aimed to perform the current study to present a comprehensive view of the issue among adults.
METHODS
In total, 533 Iranian adults (46.2% female) with a mean age of 42.59 were included in the study. Egg consumption was assessed using a semi-quantitative 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Depression and anxiety were evaluated via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated using the participant's blood sample after a 12-hour fast.
RESULTS
Based on fully adjusted model, participants in the third tertile had lower odds of depression (ORT3 vs. T1=0.45; 95%CI: 0.24-0.82) and of high psychological distress (ORT3 vs. T1=0.44; 95%CI: 0.27-0.72). Moreover, each tertile increase was associated with reduced odds of depression (ORtrend=0.67; 95%CI: 0.49-0.91) and high psychological distress (ORtrend=0.67; 95%CI: 0.52-0.85). These associations were particularly significant among ones with normal weight regarding both depression (ORT3 vs. T1=0.04; 95%CI: 0.00-0.41) and distress (ORT3 vs. T1=0.16; 95%CI: 0.06-0.43). The same pattern was evident for continuous analyses of depression (ORtrend=0.38; 95%CI: 0.19-0.76) and distress (ORtrend=0.41; 95%CI: 0.25-0.66) in individuals with normal weight. There was a linear association between egg with malonaldehyde (B=-16.784 mU/mL; 95% CI: -30.090, -3.479) and superoxide dismutase (B = 0.084 unit; 95% CI: 0.008, 0.160) among women.
CONCLUSION
There was an inverse dose-related association between egg consumption and depression and high psychological distress. Moreover, egg consumption was related to lower oxidative stress among women.
Mahdi Moabedi, Z. Moradmand, P. Rouhani et al.· Nutrix Journal· 0 citations
Background/Objectives: Oxidative stress and low-grade chronic inflammation are implicated in the early pathogenesis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Malondialdehyde (MDA), a biomarker of lipid peroxidation, may reflect subclinical oxidative stress in apparently healthy young adults. This study aimed to establish a population-specific reference interval for plasma MDA in healthy Thai undergraduate students and evaluate associations with lifestyle risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 141 Thai college students aged 18–27 years. Plasma MDA was measured using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. A reference interval was determined non-parametrically (P2.5–P97.5) following IFCC recommendations in a reference subgroup (n = 94). The 75th percentile (P75) was used as an exploratory cutoff for elevated MDA. Associations between MDA and lifestyle risk factors were assessed using logistic regression and multiple linear regression. Results: The plasma MDA reference interval was 1.16–9.23 µmol/L, with P75 = 6.07 µmol/L. Using this cutoff, 25.5% of participants had elevated MDA. High sugar intake was associated with elevated MDA in the P75-based model (adjusted OR = 3.42; 95% CI: 1.08–10.87; p = 0.036). In the linear regression model, BMI emerged as independently associated with MDA (p = 0.004). Conclusions: This study established the first population-specific plasma MDA reference interval for Thai young adults. High sugar intake and BMI emerged as complementary exploratory associations with elevated lipid peroxidation across different models. These findings support plasma MDA as a practical, cost-effective candidate biomarker, providing a basis for further early oxidative stress surveillance and NCD prevention in young populations.
While ACT and BATD improved clinical outcomes, their effects on immune-inflammatory biomarkers were not significant and underscore the need to further explore the interaction between psychological therapies, biological processes, and individual variability in treatment outcomes.
Adrián Pérez-Aranda, Carla Rodríguez-Freire, Juan P. Sanabria-Mazo et al.· The Clinical Journal of Pain· 0 citations
The research showed that the GM and their predicted metabolic pathways in patients with MDD were closely related to cognitive function and peripheral blood indicators, and that differences in these factors may manifest as oxidative stress and inflammation.
He-hua Li, Baoyuan Zhu, Yuanyuan Huang et al.· Frontiers in Microbiology· 0 citations