Medical studies increasingly show that racial bias, whether overt or subtle and unintentional, can lead to chronic stress problems among victims — and stress can literally alter how our brains work and how we respond to germs, according to Paula Braveman, director of the Center on Social Disparities in Health at the University of California, San Francisco.

Americans and their doctors tend to focus on what individuals can do to be healthier, but there’s evidence they should look at broader societal factors like racism, Braverman told listeners in remarks at a Washington meeting of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America on Wednesday. Read the full article by clicking here.