Scientists have confirmed that being poor can compromise a person's health. Low social status has a negative effect on the immune system which includes inflammation associated with chronic diseases.

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In a research by Duke University published in Science, the question of whether social status affects biology was answered. Human social genomics expert Steve Cole said: "We've known for years the human health and longevity are linked to socioeconomic status." He added that this study is "very consistent with other lines of research" revealing that a person's standing in the society has an effect on his well-being.

The scientists conducted an experiment using rhesus monkey which is described as a highly social animal. Jenny Tung of Duke University and his team used 45 female monkeys that were grouped into five one by one. The researchers and the lab animals were able to maintain a rank based on the date each monkey was assigned to the group. The study lasted for one year which allowed the evolutionary biologists to observe the monkeys' behaviors as well as their cellular and gene activity. After the said period, the laboratory animals were re-assigned to another group according to their social rank. 

Tung explained that it appeared very clear which laboratory animals were in the top class and which were underlings. She elaborated that no one tried to mess with the alpha female while low-ranking individuals often suffered from criticisms and harassment. Apart from these, monkeys from the low class were often left alone and showed poor grooming behavior.

On the cellular and genomic level, scientists found out that the immune system of low-ranking animals was compromised with the presence of chronic diseases such as metastatic cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and even Alzheimer's.

The researchers added that when a bacterial toxin was introduced, cells reacted differently according to the Rhesus monkey's social standing. Sir Michael Marmot said that "the gateway through which the social environment impacts health is the mind. Whether it is unhealthy behavior or direct stress, the mind is crucial and this study is lending real credence to that."

Robert Sapolsky said that the results of the study explain how social stress brought by abject social standing adversely affect the body.

"At the end of the day, being a chronically subordinate nonhuman primate and being a human mired at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale are similar in the most fundamental ways," he said. Sapolsky added that individuals who belong to the low ranking group in society "have remarkably little control and predictability in your life, your outlets for frustration are limited, and it's relatively hard to access social support. That's the prescription for chronic, stress-related maladies."