Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can develop after a traumatic experience, is mainly associated with impaired psychosocial functioning, but more and more studies show that it also affects physical health. People with PTSD are more susceptible to the metabolic syndrome, i.e. the development of factors that increase the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

'We know that in PTSD there is dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which prepares the body for better functioning in a stressful situation. Improper functioning of this system is also associated with metabolic problems', says Professor Monika Stojek, a psychologist at the University of Silesia.

Previous studies have shown that people with PTSD tend to cope with their symptoms through unfavourable health behaviours, including those related to addiction. For example, food addiction occurs more often in them than in the general population. People addicted to food often have a higher body mass index (BMI), and some studies suggest that this addiction may also be associated with other metabolic problems, although the data is not clear in this case.

'We wanted to check whether the occurrence of a PTSD diagnosis, the severity of food addiction symptoms, and their mutual connections are associated with inflammation in the body (CRP), insulin levels, and selected elements of the metabolic syndrome, such as: sugar, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol, and abdominal obesity. We took it into account because it is more closely associated with the risk of heart disease and metabolic diseases than the BMI alone', explains the researcher from the University of Silesia.

The researchers tested the blood was tested and assessed the level of food addiction and PTSD symptoms in 187 participants. They published the results in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

'In our participants - adults from Silesia - we noticed that the PTSD diagnosis is associated with higher insulin levels, but not sugar levels. This may be due to the fact that the body +pumps+ more insulin to keep blood sugar within the norm. The problem is that a constantly elevated insulin is the first step towards insulin resistance, which over time can lead to diabetes. It may therefore be an early sign that something is starting to happen in the body, even though the current results are still within the norm', the researcher explains.

Therefore, as the authors of the publication emphasise, early detection and treatment of PTSD may also be a way to avoid metabolic problems in the future, before serious symptoms appear.

Although the study showed that PTSD was associated with higher insulin levels, it was not associated with systemic inflammation, abdominal obesity or other components of metabolic syndrome.

'Our study group is from the general population, people who did not seek treatment. Although we had an overrepresentation of people with higher scores on the PTSD questionnaire, the average level of symptoms in this group was moderate. It is possible that more serious metabolic disorders appear only in people who seek help and have stronger PTSD', Stojek says.

She emphasises that further studies should investigate whether detecting and treating PTSD symptoms can be an effective way to prevent metabolic disorders.

Ewelina Krajczyńska-Wujec (PAP)

ekr/ agt/ lm/