Men who worry more may develop heart disease and diabetes risk factors
at younger ages
Date:
January 24, 2022
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
In a long-term study of men in the U.S., more high-risk factors for
heart disease and Type 2 diabetes developed earlier in life among
those who reported more feelings of worry or feeling overwhelmed
compared to those with lower levels of worry. The study's
results suggest that men prone to worry and anxiety may need
to pay extra attention to cardiometabolic disease risk factors,
such as maintaining a healthy weight and taking blood pressure or
cholesterol medicines, if needed.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Middle-aged men who are anxious and worry more may be at greater
biological risk for developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes,
also called cardiometabolic disease, as they get older, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association,
an open access journal of the American Heart Association.
========================================================================== "While the participants were primarily white men, our findings indicate
higher levels of anxiousness or worry among men are linked to biological processes that may give rise to heart disease and metabolic conditions,
and these associations may be present much earlier in life than is
commonly appreciated - - potentially during childhood or young adulthood,"
said Lewina Lee, Ph.D., lead author of the study, an assistant professor
of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, and an investigator
and clinical psychologist at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, both in Boston.
To track the relationship between anxiety and cardiometabolic disease risk factors over time, the investigators analyzed data on participants in the Normative Aging Study, which is a longitudinal study of aging processes
in men, founded at the U.S. Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Boston
in 1961. The study includes both veterans and non-veterans. This analysis included 1,561 men (97% white), who were an average age of 53 years in
1975. The men completed baseline assessments of neuroticism and worry and
did not have cardiovascular disease or cancer at that time. A personality inventory assessed neuroticism on a scale of 0-9. In addition, a worry assessment tool asked how often they worried about each of 20 items,
with 0 meaning never and 4 meaning all the time.
"Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by a tendency
to interpret situations as threatening, stressful and/or
overwhelming. Individuals with high levels of neuroticism are prone
to experience negative emotions -- such as fear, anxiety, sadness and
anger -- more intensely and more frequently," said Lee. "Worry refers to
our attempts at problem-solving around an issue whose future outcome is uncertain and potentially positive or negative. Worry can be adaptive,
for example, when it leads us to constructive solutions. However, worry
can also be unhealthy, especially when it becomes uncontrollable and
interferes with our day-to-day functioning." After their baseline
assessment, the men had physical exams and blood tests every 3-5
years until they either died or dropped out of the study. The research
team used follow-up data through 2015. During follow-up visits, seven cardiometabolic risk factors were measured: systolic (top number) blood pressure; diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure; total cholesterol; triglycerides; obesity (assessed by body mass index); fasting blood
sugar levels; and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a marker
of inflammation.
A risk factor for cardiometabolic disease was considered in the
high-risk range if the test results for the risk factor was higher
than the cut-point established by national guidelines, or if the
participant was taking any medicines to manage that risk factor (such as cholesterol-lowering medications). Cut points for ESR as a risk factor
are not standardized, so the participant was ranked as high-risk if they
were in the top 25% of those tested. Each participant was assigned a
risk factor count score, one point for each of the seven risk factors classified as high-risk. The men were then stratified based on whether
they did or did not develop six or more high-risk factors during the
follow-up period.
========================================================================== "Having six or more high-risk cardiometabolic markers suggests that
an individual is very likely to develop or has already developed cardiometabolic disease," said Lee.
The researchers found:
* Between ages 33 to 65, the average number of cardiometabolic
high-risk
factors increased by about one per decade, averaging 3.8
risk-factors by age 65, followed by a slower increase per decade
after age 65.
* At all ages, participants with higher levels of neuroticism had
a greater
number of high-risk cardiometabolic factors.
* Higher neuroticism was associated with a 13% higher likelihood
of having
six or more cardiometabolic disease risk factors, after adjusting
for demographic characteristics (such as income and education)
and family history of heart disease.
* Higher worry levels were associated with a 10% higher likelihood of
having six or more cardiometabolic disease risk factors after
adjusting for demographic characteristics.
"We found that cardiometabolic disease risk increased as men aged, from
their 30s into their 80s, irrespective of anxiety levels, while men
who had higher levels of anxiety and worry consistently had a higher
likelihood of developing cardiometabolic disease over time than those
with lower levels of anxiety or worry," Lee said.
The researchers did not have data on whether participants had been
diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Standard evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders includes psychotherapy or medication, or a combination
of the two.
"While we do not know whether treatment of anxiety and worry may lower
one's cardiometabolic risk, anxious and worry-prone individuals should
pay greater attention to their cardiometabolic health. For example,
by having routine health check-ups and being proactive in managing
their cardiometabolic disease risk levels (such as taking medications
for high blood pressure and maintaining a healthy weight), they may be
able to decrease their likelihood of developing cardiometabolic disease,"
said Lee.
It is unclear to what extent the results of this analysis are
generalizable to the public since the study participants were all male
and nearly all white. In addition, although participants were followed
for four decades, they were middle-aged when the study began.
"It would be important for future studies to evaluate if these
associations exist among women, people from diverse racial and ethnic
groups, and in more socioeconomically varying samples, and to consider
how anxiety may relate to the development of cardiometabolic risk in
much younger individuals than those in our study," Lee said.
Co-authors are Kevin J. Grimm, Ph.D.; Avron Spiro III, Ph.D.; and Laura D.
Kubzansky, M.P.H., Ph.D.
The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and the
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which are divisions
of the National Institutes of Health.
special promotion Explore the latest scientific research on sleep and
dreams in this free online course from New Scientist -- Sign_up_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lewina O. Lee, Kevin J. Grimm, Avron Spiro, Laura D. Kubzansky.
Neuroticism, Worry, and Cardiometabolic Risk Trajectories: Findings
From a 40‐Year Study of Men. Journal of the American Heart
Association, 2022; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.022006 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220124084613.htm
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