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PITTSBURGH - Newswise stated: Forget the successful overstressed executive - lower, not higher, socio-economic status is tied to higher levels of stress hormones.  This is independent of race, age, sex, or body mass index, found a study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.  The study doesn’t deal with poverty, per se, said author Dr. Sheldon Cohen, psychiatry professor at Carnegie Mellon University.  He said the study was to know how stressors can influence health - we need to really show that this relationship exists.  The study had 193 adults with yearly incomes up to $162,500, but leaning toward the low end of the scale: average of $17,500.  Average education was 13.76 years.  Participants gave two 24-hour urine samples to check epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, and saliva samples for cortisol levels for three days.  Lower socio-economic status was tied to higher levels of all three stress hormones.  Low socio-economic status was tied to increased smoking, not eating breakfast, and having a less diverse social network.  These behaviors and social variables appear to strengthen the link between socio-economic status and hormone levels, with about 63% of the tie explained by smoking alone.  Eating breakfast regularly was seen as a bellwether for overall healthy behavior, and having a strong social support network is known to reduce stress levels, Dr. Cohen said, adding that every upward increment of socio-economic status increases the likelihood of better overall health.