Predictors of Anxiety Linked to Higher Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

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Predictors of Anxiety Linked to Higher Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Men whose answers on a questionnaire indicated a high level of anxiety were more likely to have markers of a high risk for cardiovascular disease decades into the future, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers have long been aware of a connection between diabetes and mental health problems, although anxiety has been studied less than depression. It’s estimated that one in four people with diabetes will deal with depression at some point, with consequences that reach even further than symptoms of depression itself — in fact, previous research has tied depression to a higher risk of dying in people with type 2 diabetes. Even having prediabetes — elevated blood glucose that doesn’t reach the level of diabetes — is linked to a higher risk for major depression.

At the same time, a number of treatments and behaviors have been shown to help people with diabetes and depression — including antidepressants, which are linked to a lower risk of death. Diabetes support interventions have been shown to reduce the risk for depression in people with diabetes, and both exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy may help people with diabetes and depression reduce the burden of depression symptoms. Certain dietary practices may also help fight depression, including following a Mediterranean eating pattern and eating enough of certain foods like dark chocolate and mushrooms.

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For the latest study, researchers looked at long-term health outcomes in men who experienced different levels of anxiety. In the year 1975, 1,561 generally healthy men with an average age of 53 completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their levels of neuroticism (broadly seeing the world as threatening or unsafe) and worry. After this, every three to five years they had seven markers of cardiovascular disease risk measured until 2015, or until they died or dropped out of the study.

Tendency to worry linked to higher risk for cardiovascular disease

Overall, the number of health markers with results that qualified as “high risk” for cardiovascular disease increased by an average of 0.8 health markers per decade from age 33 to age 65 — at which point participants had an average of 3.8 high-risk markers out of 7. After age 65, there was a slower average increase of 0.5 high-risk markers per decade. Over the course of the study, having a higher level of neuroticism or worry was linked to having more high-risk markers for cardiovascular disease. People who scored high for neuroticism were 13% more likely to have at least six high-risk markers for cardiovascular disease, and those who scored high for worry were 10% more likely to have at least six high-risk markers, after the researchers adjusted for other factors linked to cardiovascular risk.

This study points to the need for people who worry a lot to pay attention to their cardiovascular risk, according to study author Lewina Lee, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, in a press release. “By having routine health checkups and being proactive in managing their cardiometabolic disease risk levels” — such as taking medications for high blood pressure and maintaining a healthy weight — people with high levels of anxiety “may be able to decrease their likelihood of developing cardiometabolic disease,” said Lee.

Want to learn more about protecting your heart? Read “Be Heart Smart: Know Your Numbers,” “Does Diabetes Hurt Your Heart?” “Fight Off Heart Disease With These Five Heart-Healthy Foods” and “Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease.”

Quinn Phillips

Quinn Phillips

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A freelance health writer and editor based in Wisconsin, Phillips has a degree from Harvard University. He is a former Editorial Assistant for Diabetes Self-Management and has years of experience covering diabetes and related health conditions. Phillips writes on a variety of topics, but is especially interested in the intersection of health and public policy.

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