Being out has long-term health benefits

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NEW YORK — LGBs who are out are less anxious, depressed and burned out than their closeted counterparts or straights according to a new study from Canada published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the New York Daily News reported.

The study looked at 87 men and women of varying sexual orientations all of whom were around age 25; 46 identified as gay, lesbian or bi and 41 were straight. Participants were given psychological tests and provided multiple urine and saliva samples to test for various biomarkers related to stress and general health, the Daily News said.

All the participants who were out had lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of depression than those who weren’t out. In the men, out gay and bi men had lower stress and fewer symptoms of depression than straight men.

Researchers at the University of Montreal wrote that living openly eliminates the constant stress of keeping a large part of one’s life hidden, which can cause the hormone cortisol to spike and create inflammation in the body, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, the report said.