Diet & Lifestyle
Stress Research

Stress affects heart disease and hormones

Depression, anxiety, personality factors and character traits, social isolation and chronic life stress - all factors affecting coronary heart disease and hormonal disorders.

Recent studies by the Division of Cardiology, New York, USA provide clear and convincing evidence that the above health behaviours contribute significantly to coronary artery disease, even more so than a poor diet, smoking, or deficient physiological mechanisms in the body, such as neuroendocrine and platelet activation.

Chronic stress can cause an excessive sympathetic nervous system response and it is thought that this leads to the exacerbation of coronary artery atherosclerosis as well as to endothelial

Dysfunction, and even to the death of cells. Chronic stress also reduces ovarian function, increases cortisone and excessive adrenaline activity in premenopausal women leading to accelerated atherosclerosis.

Recent data suggests that acute stress can trigger heart attacks or produce irregular heart rhythms, stimulate platelet function, and increase blood viscosity. In coronary artery diseased patients, acute stress also causes coronary vasoconstriction. The current data links increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system as an intrinsic link in some individuals.

The researchers suggest that further studies are necessary to understand patients health behaviour.

As chronic stress is usually already elevated in patients suffering from coronary artery disease, hypertension and high cholesterol levels, these patients would benefit from stress management techniques including yoga, biofeedback, massage and meditation.

Source : Impact of psychological factors on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and implications for therapy. Rozanski A; Blumenthal JA; Kaplan J
Circulation, 99:2192-217, 1999 Apr 27

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