Many people find that they get sick more easily when they are under a lot of stress.
They presented their findings at a microbiology meeting here this week. But the direct effects of these stress hormones on the growth of bacteria are not well known, they say. They decided to study the effect of human stress hormones on some of these germs. This study, he tells WebMD, suggests that hormones produced in times of stress may increase the risk of getting an infection by stimulating the growth of bacteria in the body, as well as by suppressing the immune system. But he hastens to add that these findings are very preliminary and must be confirmed.