To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Optimistic People Have Healthier Hearts, Finds New StudyIt should be a no-brainer, but we welcome science's recognition of an obvious correlation. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things… and the peace of God will be with you… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances… I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4: 8-12) (Champaign, IL)—People who have upbeat outlooks on life have significantly better cardiovascular health, suggests a new study that examined associations between optimism and heart health in more than 5,100 adults. (Photo: Rosalba Hernandez/by L. Brian Stauffer) "Individuals with the highest levels of optimism have twice the odds of being in ideal cardiovascular health compared to their more pessimistic counterparts," said lead author Rosalba Hernandez, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois. "This association remains significant, even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and poor mental health." Participants' cardiovascular health was assessed using seven metrics: blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol levels, dietary intake, physical activity and tobacco use—the same metrics used by the American Heart Association to define heart health and being targeted by the AHA in its Life's Simple 7 public awareness campaign. In accordance with AHA's heart-health criteria, the researchers allocated 0, 1 or 2 points—representing poor, intermediate and ideal scores, respectively—to participants on each of the seven health metrics, which were then summed to arrive at a total cardiovascular health score. Participants' total health scores ranged from 0 to 14, with a higher total score indicative of better health. The participants, who ranged in age from 45-84, also completed surveys that assessed their mental health, levels of optimism, and physical health, based upon self-reported extant medical diagnoses of arthritis, liver and kidney disease. Individuals' total health scores increased in tandem with their levels of optimism. People who were the most optimistic were 50 and 76 percent more likely to have total health scores in the intermediate or ideal ranges, respectively. The association between optimism and cardiovascular health was even stronger when socio-demographic characteristics such as age, race and ethnicity, income and education status were factored in. People who were the most optimistic were twice as likely to have ideal cardiovascular health, and 55 percent more likely to have a total health score in the intermediate range, the researchers found. Optimists had significantly better blood sugar and total cholesterol levels than their counterparts. They also were more physically active, had healthier body mass indexes and were less likely to smoke, according to a paper on the research that appears in the January/February 2015 issue of Health Behavior and Policy Review. (Photo via Wikipedia Commons) The findings may be of clinical significance, given that a 2013 study indicated that a one-point increase in an individual's total-health score on the LS7 was associated with an 8 percent reduction in their risk of stroke, Hernandez said. "At the population level, even this moderate difference in cardiovascular health translates into a significant reduction in death rates," Hernandez said. "This evidence, which is hypothesized to occur through a bio-behavioral mechanism, suggests that prevention strategies that target modification of psychological well-being—e.g., optimism—may be a potential avenue for AHA to reach its goal of improving Americans' cardiovascular health by 20 percent before 2020." Believed to be the first study to examine the association of optimism and cardiovascular health in a large, ethnically and racially diverse population, the sample for the current study was 38 percent white, 28 percent African-American, 22 percent Hispanic/Latino and 12 percent Chinese. Data for the study were derived from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an ongoing examination of subclinical cardiovascular disease that includes 6,000 people from six U.S. regions, including Baltimore, Chicago, Forsyth County in North Carolina, and Los Angeles County. Begun in July 2000, MESA followed participants for 11 years, collecting data every 18 months to two years. Hernandez, who is an affiliated investigator on MESA, is leading a team in conducting prospective analyses on the associations found between optimism and heart health. "We now have available data to examine optimism at baseline and cardiovascular health a decade later," said Hernandez, who expects to have an abstract completed in 2015.
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News Australia Calls For 3 Days Prayer & Fasting for America, April 30 - May 2nd Arabella Network's Leftist 'Dark Money' Influence Expanding, Author Reveals CA Bill to Inform Teens About Pregnancy Care Centers Voted Down by Legislators The Rise of Islamism in America; How We Can Be Praying Israel at Crossroads Between Rafah Incursion, Hostage Deal as Blinken Visits Antisemites Barricade Themselves in Columbia's Hamilton Hall Overnight as Tensions Skyrocket Judge Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Criminal Contempt for Gag Order Violations, Threatens Jail Time Tennessee Passes 'Baby Olivia Act' Requiring Public Schools Show Development of Unborn Babies Soros-Backed LA DA George Gascon's Top Adviser Charged With 11 Felonies: Report TX Rep. Chip Roy Raises Alarm About George Soros' Purchase of 2nd Largest Radio Co. in the US Iowa Public Universities Dissolve DEI Offices and Positions, Shift Focus to Intellectual Diversity Holocaust Survivor Hits Back at Anti-Israel Campus Chaos With Sobering Warning: 'It's Frightening' Tens of Thousands Attend Jerusalem Annual Passover Priestly Blessing, Focus on Hostages, Families Pro-Life Democrat Runs 'Graphic' Abortion Ad during the 'Today' Show Outrage Follows Biden's Abortion Blessing at a Recent Rally Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |