A new study from the University of Georgia found an association between the occurrence of stressful life events and elevated levels of oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress has been indicated as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, and more recent research has shown an association between oxidative stress and preterm births.

“Women who deliver preterm have higher oxidative stress levels relative to women who deliver at term,” said lead author Stephanie Eick, a doctoral student at UGA’s College of Public Health.

“There’s also a growing body a literature that shows that non-pregnant women who experience depression, anxiety, extreme stressful life events have increased oxidative stress levels. We hypothesized that stress could be one mediating pathway, that psychosocial stress could influence preterm births through oxidative stress.”

The findings revealed that stress from depression and anxiety or a family death was most strongly associated to elevated levels of oxidative stress.