(17-12-05) Linking Your Cholesterol to Stress

Your body's reaction to stress may raise your odds of developing high cholesterol.
Chronic Stress and Heart Disease
A new study has shown that middle-aged adults, if their cholesterol rose in response to a stressful task, were more likely to develop high cholesterol years later. Several studies have shown a connection between chronic stress and heart disease; it's possible that stress-related cholesterol changes may contribute to this.
Three-Year Study
Researchers tracked almost 200 middle-aged adults. At the start of the study, participants performed stressful tasks, and their blood cholesterol was measured before and after. Three years later, their blood cholesterol was measured again. Those who had the greatest cholesterol response to stress were also the most likely to have high cholesterol.
13 Times More Likely
It was determined that:
? The group with the highest stress response was 13 times more likely than the group with the lowest response to develop high cholesterol
? They were also four times more likely to have high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol
Modifying Response with Stress Management
Changes in metabolism in response to stress may ultimately cause the liver to boost production of LDL particles. Stress can also temporarily limit the body's clearance of cholesterol from the blood.
It's possible that such effects could be modified if people changed their conscious responses using stress management techniques.

Health Psychology November 2005; 24(6)

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