Scientists are learning more about the negative impact of stress during teenage years on cardiovascular health in later life.

UCLA researchers conducted a study of 69 healthy, normal adolescents who reported negative interpersonal interactions, such as conflicts with family and friends, peer harassment or punishment by parents or teachers.

They found that greater frequency of such stress was associated with higher levels of an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein (CRP).

“Our findings are consistent with the emerging body of evidence that points to the link between stress and increased inflammation, which places individuals at risk for the later development of cardiovascular disease,” says Andrew J. Fuligni, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

The results also suggest that the association of stress with inflammation exists regardless of individual teens’ subjective evaluation of stressful experiences, he added.

The study appeared in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Those who are suffering from high levels of stress may turn to alternative medicine therapies such as meditation, massage or acupuncture to relief their symptoms.