It appears that debt not only harms young people's credit and causes them to stress out, maybe getting a headache or two, but it actually has serious health consequences on their lives.

According to a Northwestern University study, young people (ages 24 to 32 years old) with higher debt had an increase in diastolic blood pressure, which could lead to a higher risk of stroke or hypertension. Young people with higher debt also had higher levels of perceived stress and higher levels of depressive symptoms.

The lead author of the study said, "You wouldn’t necessarily expect to see associations between debt and physical health in people who are so young. We need to be aware of this association and understand it better."

With college prices continuing to rise and an increasing number of students taking out loans and possibly facing future debt, will more and more young people find themselves dealing with these health risks as time goes on?

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