Work Stress Now The Major Cause Of Heart Disease

 "You're a heart attack waiting to happen," I exclaimed in a frustrated attempt to get Stefan to do something about the stress at his work. Unfortunately for people like Stefan who dismiss work stress as part of the job, new research is confirming its damaging role in the development of heart disease...

Results from a study discussed at the at the XVI World Congress of Cardiology in May 2008 in Buenos Aires Work stress, resulting from great pressure at the work place, may increase the progression of atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries) by 46% in people who have "highly reactive personalities to stress".

The study, performed by researchers at the School of Public Health in Berkeley, U.S.A., found that the association of stress and very demanding work in a personality highly reactive to stress, results in the thickening of the internal walls of the carotid arteries and formation of atherosclerotic plaques which progressively obstruct blood flow. Both factors are markers of the progression of atherosclerosis that underlies cardiovascular disease.

In the most recent analysis of the INTERHEART study which covered 52 countries and a population of 25,000 patients it was estimated that from 20% to 30% of heart attacks can be attributed to psychological stress.

Amazingly psychological stress was shown to be a greater risk factor  for a heart attack than:

                                                            Smoking

                                                            Diabetes

                                                            High blood pressure

                                                            And Obesity.

So often when focusing on ways to improve our health we tend to focus more on things like, diet, exercise and losing weight. 

What is remarkable about these results are that they highlight the need to change our priorities in the way we handle work stress. Its is well known that giving up smoking, an improvement in your diet or starting up some form of exercise progrm will go a long way towards boosting your capacity to handle stress. However this new study is highlighting why so many diets, exrcise programs and quit smoking campaigns fail.

These study results suggest that before tackling abolishing your smoking habit you should tackle some of your more damaging thinking habits. Before addressing what you feed your mouth you need to pay greater attention to what you feed your mind. A new exercise program for your mind may reap a lot greater health benefit than exercising your body.