14 DAY TRIAL // Try to find ways of tempering or simply treat your depression, anxiety, anger or hostility if you do not want to be at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, Duke University medical experts advise. According to the findings of a recent study carried out by a team of researchers at the Duke University Medical Center, such negative personality traits or emotional and affective disorders may put an individual to serious risk of developing heart problems.
If earlier studies have also pointed out that feeling lonely, sad, depressed, angry and so on may be a sign of poor heart health, the new study highlights the fact that a combination of 2 or more such negative feelings and states of mind really jeopardize an individual's future cardiac health.
Lead researcher of the study Edward C. Suarez, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Duke stated: "The risk of developing coronary heart disease due to a combination of negative personality traits in people has never before been explored. Although each of the negative traits significantly predicted heart disease, having the combination of these traits was the most powerful predictor of heart disease."
The team of researchers involved in the current study analyzed data on 2,105 military veterans who served in the Vietnam War and took part in the US Air Force Health Study. At the beginning of the study, all men enrolled had healthy hearts and took a personality inventory test called Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory in which they had to write about their own personality and behavioral traits.
The subjects have been followed-up for a 20 year period of time throughout which their health has been periodically checked. Overall results showed that participants who had one negative personality or behavioral trait were more prone to heart disorders than peers who did not exhibit such emotional or behavioral problems. However, subjects who had more such traits had a significantly increased risk for heart disease.
Dr. Suarez concluded: "In the future, doctors may wish to explore the use of earlier interventions aimed at diminishing negative personality traits in people who may be most at risk for future heart disease. We want to help people at earlier points in their life by teaching them ways to cope with problems and how to make wiser choices that promote health. By helping them before they ever show clinical signs of heart disease, we may be able to help them avoid the disease altogether."