In 2007, British researchers designed an ingenious study that showed that people who responded to
stress with high cortisol levels in an experimental setting were more likely to snack in response to daily hassles in their regular lives than low - cortisol responders.
The study also shows that people who had low cortisol levels, on average, have had their disease longer than
those with high cortisol levels, which could suggest that chronic stress in bipolar disorder can lead to an «exhaustion» of the stress system with reduced cortisol levels as a result.
Prevalence of low quality of life was six times more common in the group with low cortisol levels and nearly five times more common among
those with high cortisol levels, compared with those who exhibited normal activity in the stress system.