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Smells Like Adult Spirit A new study finds teen angst can set the stage for health problems later in life 
It was the best of times; it was the strangest of times. For many, high school was a tumultuous, drama-filled epic replete with unfounded gossip, teenage romance, college prep and parental injustice. And just because that's all in the past, however, doesn't mean it didn't take its toll. A new study by the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, has linked teen angst with higher levels of an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein, which has been linked to an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease. "Although most research on stress and inflammation has focused upon adulthood, these results show that such links can occur as early as the teenage years, even among a healthy sample of young men and women," says Andre J. Fuligni, professor of psychiatry at UCLA. "Our findings are consistent with the emerging body of evidence that points to the link between stress and increased inflammation, which places individuals at risk for the later development of cardiovascular disease. Fuligni and his team studied 69 adolescents from Latin American and European backgrounds. Teens completed a daily checklist each night for 14 days, reporting negative interactions with other people during the day. Blood samples were taken eight months after the journal's completion and examined levels of CRP proteins while accounting for factors such as socioeconomic status, major stressful life events and being overly sensitive to rejection or daily psychological distress. The researchers found that daily interpersonal stress experienced during the high school years was associated with elevated levels of inflammation, as measured by higher levels of CRP, even among normal, healthy teens. Fuligni suggests the results of this research show the importance of focusing on actual daily stressful experiences when examining the implications of psychological and social factors for the development of risk for cardiovascular disease during the teenage years. "Although the frequency of some of these experiences may be low, they could have a significant impact upon long-term physical health during adulthood," Fulgini says.
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