STRESS can indirectly raise your risk for Heart Diseases

The feeling of acute stress is linked with a 27 percent greater risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), say findings from a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people. Participants, asked about their perceived stress (how stressed do you feel or how often are you stressed), 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. 

CHD is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. It is caused by a build-up of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to their hardening, or atherosclerosis. CHD is the leading cause of death in the US for men and women, killing more than 385,000 people every year, the Journal of Cardiology reported. While it is generally accepted that stress is related to heart disease, this is the first metaanalytic review of the association of perceived stress and CHD. 

Stress can trigger your arteries to narrow. This can raise your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack. Getting upset or angry also can trigger a heart attack. Stress also may indirectly raise your risk for CHD if it makes you more likely to smoke or overeat foods high in fat and sugar. People who are depressed are two to three times more likely to develop CHD than people who are not. Depression is twice as common in women as in men.