Discrimination and African American health inequities

This article looks at the effects of interpersonal racism on health.

Takeaways:

The brain processes interpersonal racism as social pain in the same regions associated with the emotional components of physical pain.
Exposure to perceived discrimination triggers a stress response; when this exposure is chronic, the stress response creates wear and tear on the body, increasing the risk of adverse health outcomes.
In part because of discrimination, African Americans are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including low birth weight, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
Health inequities begin even before birth and build over a lifetime.
This disproportionate risk of adverse health outcomes helps explain the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on African Americans.