Stress kills. Its potentially fatal effect on the heart is well documented. But new research suggests that it’s probably the reason for everything from decaying gums to common colds.

An article inside Observer, the monthly magazine of the Association for Mental Science, cites new research over psychology, medicine, neuroscience and genes to conclude that stress is in the root of a whole choice of health problems.

Stress encompasses the strains experienced by living organisms in their struggles to adapt along with cope with changing environments.

Whenever danger is perceived, a chain reaction of signals releases the body’s hormones like epinephrine (“adrenaline”), norepinephrine and cortisol from the adrenal glands. These hormones kick up the heart rate, increase respiration, or longer the glucose levels in the body – enabling the “fight as well as flight” reaction.