• Posted January 28, 2026

Stress Linked to Earlier Deaths Among Black Americans, Study Shows

Years of stress linked to racism, hardship and discrimination may explain nearly half the gap in life expectancy between Black and white adults, a new study finds.

The research — published Jan. 26 in JAMA Network Open — shows that long-term stress raises levels of inflammation in the body, and that cuts lives short.

Researchers studied blood samples from more than 1,500 adults in the St. Louis area over 17 years. They measured two proteins linked to inflammation: C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.

These markers tend to stay in the blood after the body’s stress response is triggered again and again.

The team found that people who experienced decades of stress, like childhood hardship, trauma, discrimination and financial struggles, had higher inflammation later in life. 

Those higher levels were linked to shorter lifespans.

Over the study period, about 25% of Black participants died, compared with roughly 12% of white participants. Researchers calculated that stress and inflammation explained 49.3% of that gap.

Senior author  Ryan Bogdan, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, told The Washington Post that the blood markers help capture “the aftermath” of stressful life events.

The findings support what scientists call the “weathering hypothesis,” the idea that ongoing pressure from living in an unequal society causes wear and tear on the body over time.

Arline Geronimus, a University of Michigan professor who developed the weathering theory and was not involved in the study, said the results likely underestimate the issue.

“The most-weathered have already died,” Geronimus said, noting that ages 35 to 60 are “the hardest, most stressful period of life for marginalized groups.”

She said the study focused mainly on major life stressors, while neglecting everyday challenges like routine slights and adjusting behavior or speech to fit into mostly white environments.

“It’s not just about trauma or severe deprivation, but kind of everyday fists in the face,” Geronimus added.

In 2023, Black Americans had an average life expectancy of 74 years. White Americans live longer on average, while Asian Americans have the highest life expectancy at about 85 years.

Linda Martinez, a professor and health equity researcher at UConn Health who was not part of the study, said the findings highlight the detrimental effects of racism.

“Stress management class is not going to solve this problem,” she said, calling the nearly 50% link between stress and earlier death “striking.”

“This is important evidence that continues to contribute to what we know about the fact that racism drives racial inequities,” she added.

Experts also noted that while the study shows strong links between stress and health, it does not measure things like housing discrimination, income gaps, school segregation or historical examples of racism such as lynching and cross-burning, The Post reported.

Still, researchers say inflammation markers are one of the easiest ways to see how stress affects the body.

“The fact that they’ve found a big relationship with that combination of those measures is novel,” Derek Griffith of the University of Pennsylvania said. “The fact that they found that relationship, is not.”

More information

INTEGRIS Health has more on stress and inflammation.

SOURCE: The Washington Post, Jan. 26, 2026