Men Who Worry Lots at Greater Risk of This Disease

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According to research, men who worry more in their forties are more likely to develop cardiometabolic illness.

For up to 40 years, Boston University researchers followed 1,500 males with an average age of 53.

According to the findings, participants who were categorized as being more anxious at the start of the trial were up to 13% more likely to have at least six critical indicators of poor heart health.

Obesity, as well as high blood pressure or cholesterol, were among them.

Having six of the risk factors indicates that you are highly likely to develop, or are currently suffering from, cardiometabolic illness, a set of disorders that includes heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

The results show that greater nervousness or concern among males are connected to biological processes that may give birth to heart disease and metabolic problems, as stated by lead author Dr. Lewina Lee.

Keep Anxiety at Bay

These linkages may exist far earlier in life than is typically recognized, maybe throughout infancy or early adulthood.

According to the researchers, their study — which did not include women — raises the prospect that treating anxiety disorders may reduce the risk of cardiometabolic illnesses.

Dr. Lee went on to say that nervous or worried persons should pay special attention to their heart health, such as by getting regular check-ups and keeping a healthy weight.The Boston University School of Medicine researchers studied data on more than 1,500 men and found those with higher levels of neuroticism — meaning they are prone to negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety, sadness and anger — were 13 per cent more likely to have more cardiometabolic disease risk factors, such as a high BMI or cholesterol, putting them at higher risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke or type two diabetes. The graph shows the number of cardiometabolic disease risk factors the participants had in relation to whether they had high (red), middle (yellow) or low (grey) neuroticism

The Boston University School of Medicine researchers examined data on over 1,500 men. They discovered that those with higher levels of neuroticism, meaning they are prone to negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, sadness, and anger, were 13% more likely to have more cardiometabolic disease risk factors, such as a high BMI or cholesterol, putting them at a higher risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes.

The graph depicts the number of cardiometabolic disease risk variables that the individuals had in relation to whether they had high (red), intermediate (yellow), or low (grey) neuroticism.

The researchers found those who reported higher levels of worry in middle life were at a 10 per cent greater risk of having more cardiometabolic disease risk factors. The graph shows the number of cardiometabolic disease risk factors the participants had in relation to whether they had high (red) or low (grey) worry levels

The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, used a database of 1,561 men aged 30 to 80 to investigate the connection between anxiety and cardiometabolic disorders.

When they agreed to participate in the research, they took a personality test to determine how neurotic they were.

Individuals with high levels of neuroticism are prone to experiencing unpleasant emotions, such as fear, anxiety, sorrow, and anger – more deeply and often, as claimed by Dr Lee, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

Participants also completed a questionnaire rating their level of concern for 20 issues on a scale of zero (never) to four (very concerned) (all the time).

Worry relates to our efforts at problem-solving around an issue whose future conclusion is unpredictable and possibly good or bad,’ added Dr Lee. Worry, for example, may be adaptive when it drives us to productive solutions.

Next, he added worry may be detrimental, particularly when it becomes uncontrolled and interferes with our daily functioning.

The men, none of whom had any cardiac issues at the start, were subsequently subjected to physical examinations and blood testing every three to five years until they died or dropped out of the research.

The males were assigned a score out of seven depending on how many health parameters, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI, were in the high-risk zone for them.

Triglycerides, a form of fat present in the blood, blood sugar levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an indicator of inflammation, were also assessed.

Men with greater neuroticism had more cardiometabolic risk factors, such as obesity or high blood pressure, at all ages

The researchers cautioned that it is unclear if the results can be generalized to other populations since all participants were males and virtually all were white.

 

Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.