By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A recent study has found that one out of three Koreans suffer from severe stress, which can lead to more serious health issues such as depression and heart attack.
Conducted with 238 people aged between 20 and 50, the research showed that 69 people or 29 percent suffer from severe physical stress and 33 people or 14 percent fall between the boundary of stress and a normal condition.
``It is a very serious level,'' said Han Dae-seok, researcher of the study. ``Now, it's not just an individual issue but a social problem. The government should recognize the seriousness and do something before it's too late.''
The study was conducted by Han, director of the food processing and distribution division at the Korea Food Research Institute, and Kim Dong-won, director of central research center at Natural F&B, to develop food substances to help people deal with stress.
Stress can be seen as a normal condition that people cannot live without, but Han advised it could cause serious damage.
``Stress can cause loss of appetite and nausea. It can lead into depression. It can also give rise to an irregular heartbeat, which can put people at risk of heart attack,'' Han said.
It is not the first report that Koreans suffer from stress. Other research has brought similar results.
According to last year's AP-Ipsos polling, South Koreans were the most stressed group among the 10 countries polled including the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Italy.
Eighty-one percent of Koreans in the pool said they frequently or sometimes experience stress in their daily lives. Their jobs were the most important source of that stress with 33 percent, followed by finances with 28 percent.
But Han said that the results can be seen more objectively as it can collect statistical data, different from other polls which use one-on-one interviews or questionnaires.
It was based on the result of heart rate variability (HRV), which is a measure of the heart's ability to adapt to current circumstances. The heartbeat is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating basic body functions that are not under conscious control.