Negative Emotions Affect Heart Disease Risk
Reported October 9, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Heres another reason to get along with the people close to you. New research finds those who have conflict with those they love have an increased risk of heart disease.
More and more research shows social relations are associated with better health and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers from University College London wanted to specifically look at negative aspects of a close relationship and the risk of heart disease.
For the study, researchers studied more than 9,000 British civil servants who completed a questionnaire about the negative aspects of four of their closest relationships. The participants were then followed for 12 years to see if they had any coronary problems such as a heart attack or chest pain.
During the follow-up period, 589 participants reported a coronary heart disease event. After adjusting for other factors, study authors say those who had high levels of negativity in their close relationships were 1.34-times more likely to experience a coronary heart disease event than those with a low level of conflict. Even after adjusting for depression, the association remained. Researchers say these results suggest emotions play a role when it comes to negative relationships and the risk of heart disease.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007;167:1951-1957
