Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one’s risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
The six studies included in the analysis were large prospective observational cohort studies in which participants were asked about their perceived stress (e.g., “How stressed do you feel?” or “How often are you stressed?”). Respondents scored either high or low; researchers then followed them for an average of 14 years to compare the number of heart attacks and CHD deaths between the two groups. Results demonstrate that high perceived stress is associated with a 27% increased risk for incident CHD (defined as a new diagnosis or hospitalization) or CHD mortality.
“While it is generally accepted that stress is related to heart disease, this is the first meta-analytic review of the association of perceived stress and incident CHD,” said senior author Donald Edmondson, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at CUMC. “This is the most
art health. In comparison with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, high stress provides a moderate increase in the risk of CHD — e.g., the equivalent of a 50 mg/dL increase in LDL cholesterol, a 2.7/1.4 mmHg increase in blood pressure or smoking five more cigarettes per day.”
Read more: Science Daily
