A study of mental stress and antioxidant profile in the Assamese-speaking diabetic population of Assam, India

The aim of this study is to compare the biochemical stress in persons with diabetes and their anxiety level (mental stress). Normal volunteers and persons with diabetes of either sex between the age of 35 and 55 years were selected for the present study. They were divided into four groups (n = 30). Groups I and III consisted of normal male and female volunteers without diabetes, while groups II and IV consisted of males and females patients with diabetes, respectively. All participants reported early morning to the testing centres, and their blood samples withdrawn to check fasting blood sugar levels (FBS), lipid profile and serum antioxidant entities, respectively. Simultaneously, they were subjected to psychological testing. Their physical parameters were also analysed. The results were analysed using ANOVA. The blood sugar, lipid profile, malondialdehyde (MDA) and anxiety levels of male and female patients with diabetes (groups II and IV) were significantly higher than male and female subjects without diabetes (groups I and III). The postprandial sugar levels and glycosylated haemoglobin (HB1Ac) in females with diabetes were significantly higher than males with diabetes. The serum antioxidant levels in groups II and IV were significantly reduced than in groups I and III. The study concludes that people with diabetes has elevated lipid and reduced serum antioxidant profiles. The anxiety levels in them were also higher, but the anxieties of males with diabetes were significantly higher than females with diabetes.