Racism and Your Health

What people don't know about racism is that it can actually effect your health.  On a study that followed 60,000 African American women for more than six years, it showed that if they reported racial discrimination at work they had a 32% higher risk of getting breast cancer.  Other studies have shown that racism can have a direct relation to increased blood pressure and decreased immune function.  On the other hand, racism can eventually lead to an increase in smoking, drinking and eating which can have a negative effect on your health. 


Racism can lead to more smoking and drinking

Another study performed by Dr. Nigel Barber, an evolutionary psychologist and Dr. David Chae of the University of Maryland discovered that racism and the effects of racism can make people old.  Racism is a part of discrimination which can make victims feel stressed.  Stressful situations can greatly increase aging which can ultimately shorten one's life.  This study was supported by pbs.org.