A new study published today in the open-access Journal of the American Heart Association finds that brief episodes of anger triggered by recalling past experiences have a negative impact on the ability of blood vessels to relax, which is essential for proper blood flow. It is said that there is a possibility of giving. -Reviewed American Heart Association journals.
Previous research has shown that impaired blood vessel relaxation ability may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis, which in turn may also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“Decreased vascular function is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” said study lead author Daichi Shinbo, M.D., a professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “Observational studies have linked negative emotions to heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease events. The most common negative emotion studied is anger, which is also associated with heart attack risk. There is very little research on anxiety and sadness.
In this study, researchers investigated whether negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and anxiety can negatively impact vascular function compared to neutral emotions. The 280 adults in the study were randomly assigned to one of four emotional tasks for eight minutes. Recall personal memories of anxiety. Reading a series of depressing passages that evoke sadness. Or count to 100 repeatedly to induce an emotionally neutral state. This protocol, “Putative Mechanisms Underlying the Development of Myocardial Infarction and Emotions (PUME),” was described in a previous paper by the researchers.
The researchers assessed the cells in each study participant’s blood vessel lining before and at several time points after the task, looking for evidence of impaired vasodilation, increased cell damage, and/or decreased cellular repair capacity. Ta. Measurements taken before the emotional task were repeated after task completion.
For each participant, measurements were taken at baseline (0 min) and at four different time points (3 min, 40 min, 70 min, and 100 min) after experiencing the assigned emotional task. The analysis revealed the following:
- A task that involved recalling past events that caused anger resulted in impaired vasodilation from 0 to 40 minutes after the task. The fault he was no longer present after 40 minutes.
- There were no statistically significant changes in the participants’ blood vessel lining at any time point after experiencing the emotional tasks of anxiety or sadness.
“We found that evoking a state of anger causes vascular dysfunction, but we don’t yet know what causes these changes,” Simbo said. “Investigating the underlying relationship between anger and vascular dysfunction may help identify effective targets for intervention for people at high risk for cardiovascular events.”
Mental health can have a positive or negative impact on a person’s health and risk factors for heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association’s 2021 Scientific Statement, “Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Mind-Body Connection.” may give.
“This study adds to the growing evidence that mental health can influence cardiovascular health and that intense acute emotional states such as anger and stress can trigger cardiovascular events. ,” said Glenn Levin, M.D., Ph.D., member of the FAHA writing committee. Scientific Statement Chair, Clinician and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, and Chief of Cardiology at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, both in Houston.
“For example, we know that intense sadness and similar emotions are common triggers for Takatsubo cardiomyopathy. Events such as earthquakes and watching a world soccer match as a fan can also cause stress. It can lead to myocardial infarction and arrhythmias.” This latest study very eloquently demonstrates how anger negatively impacts the health and function of the vascular endothelium, the lining of blood vessels. is known to play an important role in myocardial ischemia and atherosclerotic heart disease, but not all of its mechanisms have been elucidated. The influence of psychological and physical conditions on cardiovascular health is well understood, and this study clearly brings us one step closer to defining such mechanisms. ”
Research background and details:
- The Putative Mechanisms Underlying the Development of Myocardial Infarction and Emotions (PUME) study was a randomized controlled experimental study conducted from August 2013 to May 2017.
- Participants were recruited from the community surrounding Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.
- Participants were over 18 years old and in good health. In this study, good health was defined as having no history of heart disease, stroke, bypass surgery or stents, transient ischemic attack, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or self-reported Defined as no diagnosis of mental illness. Health disorders. Not taking any prescription drugs or nutritional supplements. And now I don’t smoke.
- The average age of study participants was 26 years. Approximately 50% of participants identified themselves as women. Approximately 40% of participants identified themselves as white adults. 29% as Hispanic/Latino adults; 19% for Asian adults. and 14% are Black adults.
- Participants’ vascular health was assessed before and after completing the emotional task using a finger probe that detects changes in blood flow within the arteries.
- Before completing the emotional task, participants were instructed to sit in a comfortable chair in a temperature-controlled room and relax for 30 minutes, during which time they were prohibited from talking, using a cell phone, reading documents, or sleeping. I did.
- After participants relaxed for 30 minutes, the researchers used a cuff to measure their blood pressure and corresponding heart rate. Two blood pressure measurements were taken one minute apart to measure dilation of the participants’ blood vessels, and a blood sample was taken for testing. Repeat blood pressure and diastolic measurements were taken, and blood samples were taken again after completing the assigned emotional task.
- The researchers determined the extent to which participants’ blood vessels were unable to expand by measuring blood flow in their non-dominant forearm. They assessed participants’ blood vessel damage by counting the number of circulating blood vessel lining biomarkers in the blood and the regenerative capacity of participants’ blood vessel cells by measuring circulating levels of bone marrow-derived cells essential for repair. evaluated. .
Limitations of this study include that the participants were young and apparently healthy, and it is unclear whether the results apply to older adults with other health conditions who are more likely to be taking medications. It’s unclear,” Simbo said. Furthermore, participants were observed in a medical setting rather than in a real-world situation, and this study assessed only the short-term effects of the evoked emotions.
Co-authors, disclosure information, and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.
