By: By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe, Staff Writer
Published: 05/17/2014 02:50 PM EDT on LiveScience
Young adults who were bullied when they were kids may have higher levels of inflammation, compared with young adults who bullied others in childhood, a new study suggests.
In the study, the researchers measured the participants' levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), one marker of inflammation. People's levels of this protein increase in response to inflammation, which is a risk factor for health problems such as heart disease.
The researchers found that the people who had experienced bullying as kids had higher CRP levels on average, compared with the people who had either been bullies, or so-called bully-victims —who had been both bullies and bullying victims.
Moreover, the more bullying people had experienced as children, the more their CRP levels increased, the researchers found.
"CRP levels are affected by a variety of stressors, including poor nutrition, lack of sleep and infection, but we've found that they are also related to psychosocial factors," William E. Copeland, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Previous research has shown that childhood bullying victims may experience social and emotional problems as adults. However, bullied kids also tend to experience physical problems, such as pain, and report getting sick more often than kids who are not bullied, so the exact link is not clear, according to the researchers. [9 Weird Ways Kids Can Get Hurt]
In the study, the researchers examined health and bullying data from 1,420 peoplecollected over more than 20 years. The researchers measured the participants' CRP levels when the participants were between ages 9 and 16, and again when they were 19 to 21 years old.
Although CRP levels increased in all participants as they reached the 19-21 age range, those who had been bullied had higher levels than the other groups, the researchers found.
The researchers also found that compared with people who had not been involved in bullying at all, those who had been bullies had lower levels of CRP, and the former bully-victims had similar levels of CRP.
"Our study found that a child's role in bullying can serve as either a risk or a protective factor for low-grade inflammation," Copeland said.
Because the former bullies had the lowest CRP levels among all study participants, the results may indicate that somehow, bullying other kids may protect the bullies against future increases in the inflammatory marker, the researchers speculated.
Reducing the rates of bullying and bullying-related inflammation could help lower the risk of diseases that are related to inflammation, the researchers said.
The study was published online Monday (May 12) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ]]>
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.