Racism Causes Life Threatening Illnesses, Study Says

Racism has profound long-term effects on Black U.S. citizens’ health, a new study has found.

According to research by Northwestern University, which took into account other factors that could cause stress, like socioeconomic status and depression, adults who said they experienced higher levels of discrimination when they were young had disrupted stress hormone levels 20 years later. African Americans, the study found, reported the effects at higher rates than whites.

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"There's sometimes a tendency to say, 'Oh, they are just kids – they will get over it,'" said developmental psychologist and head researcher Emma Adam. "But it turns out there can be lasting impact."

Researchers drew from the Maryland Adolescent Development Context Study, which collected data over 20 years from adolescents from a wide socioeconomic base, allowing them to compare levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in adults to the replies they gave when they were 12-years-old.

High levels of cortisol in the morning, the researchers say, “activate you for the day, giving you the energy and focus, and stimulate your appetite.”

The ranges, however, flattened out among those who reported higher levels of discrimination when they were 12.

Long-term effects of unfluctuating cortisol levels are associated with life-threatening illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, depression, and chronic fatigue.

According to Adam, the high levels of racism reported by African Americans caused chronic stress.

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"I think the message is: For folks who would like to say that this is a thing of the past – it is not," she added. "These are concerns that are affecting the daily functioning, the health, and the well-being of African Americans, and it should be of concern to the whole country."

Racism is an issue in the United States that refuses to go away, with police brutality directed towards Black people and institutional racism as highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

But the U.S. is not the only, or worst perpetrator: Saudi Arabia, Israel and South Africa have all registered high levels.