Allegiance Health

Do rude and reckless drivers make your blood boil? Are you infuriated by poor service at a restaurant? Do you yell or swear when your team fumbles the ball? Your typical reaction to situations like these could predict your risk for a heart attack. 

Many scientific studies, including one by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, show a direct connection between high levels of anger and heart disease. The Hopkins study of more than 1,300 male medical students found that those who were quick to anger were three times more likely to develop premature heart disease and five times more likely to have an early heart attack than those who reacted more calmly in stressful situations. Similar studies suggest the same is true for quick-tempered women and older men as well.

Exactly how anger increases your heart attack risk is not known. But research suggests that anger releases harmful stress hormones, increases oxygen demand by the heart's muscle cells and increases the stickiness of blood platelets, which can lead to blood clots. A recent study in Italy shows that those who had high scores for antagonistic traits such as anger had more thickening of the carotid arteries, which are the two main arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the head and brain. Thickened carotid arteries are a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. 

For those already at risk for heart disease, anger also affects the electrical function of the heart, according to a study led by a Yale University cardiologist. This is because anger can cause an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, in vulnerable individuals. When the heart’s electrical system is thrown off balance, the heart can beat in a very irregular pattern—this is what happens in a heart attack. The heart is unable to circulate blood throughout the body, and cannot support a blood pressure. In such cases, a device called a defibrillator is needed to deliver a quick shock to the heart to restore rhythm.

Fortunately, you can learn ways to control your anger and protect your heart. Gaining control of your anger will also benefit your personal and professional relationships and help you get more enjoyment out of life.

So, instead of letting your rage build up inside, try to explain your feelings to someone you trust. Getting regular physical exercise also helps release tension that can escalate into anger. And you may find meditation and deep breathing exercises to be helpful coping mechanisms for your temper. No matter how tempting, never rely on nicotine or an excessive amount of alcohol to calm you down; they won’t help your anger and they will hurt your heart.

Writing your feelings out in a journal may help you to understand why you are so likely to lose your temper. Once you are aware of what is making you angry, you can learn to change your behavior before you have an outburst. Train yourself to recognize the signs of stress, and stop yourself before your anger gets out of control. Then wait a few seconds and try to express your feeling calmly, without raising your voice. If you find you are having trouble doing it on your own, don’t despair. Individual counseling or anger management classes could the right choice for you.

If controlling your anger is a frequent challenge, you may want to ask your doctor about taking a daily aspirin. Research shows that aspirin reduces the stickiness of blood platelets and may moderately reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

For tips on managing your stress, click here. If you would like a free DVD on mindfulness and relaxation, call (517) 788-4800, ext 7537.

As we get older, we all struggle with extra inches that seem to creep up overnight around our waists. While we once might have accepted this as an annoying but inevitable part of ageing, medical research is showing that added girth is also a risk to heart health.

An important Swedish study has revealed that even for people of normal weight, a larger waistline brings a significantly higher risk of heart disease. Extra abdominal weight, also called visceral fat, creates an “apple-shaped” body type that places its owner at risk. While this body type is more common in men, women may also be “apples.” Many women, however, tend to carry weight around the hips and thighs, creating what is known as a “pear-shaped” body type.

What makes visceral fat so dangerous to your heart? A Harvard Medical School report says there is increasing evidence that it pumps out immune system chemicals called cytokines. These chemicals promote insulin resistance and low-level chronic inflammation—both of which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas to carry glucose into the body’s cells, and has a major impact on metabolism. Insulin resistance means that your body’s muscle and liver cells don’t respond adequately to normal levels of insulin. This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise and increases the risk for diabetes. Insulin resistance, combined with high blood glucose, excess abdominal fat, unfavorable cholesterol levels and high blood pressure create what is known as the metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Is your waist size increasing your risk for heart disease? There are several ways to calculate your risk by using your waist measurement, the difference between your waist and hip measurements, and your Body Mass Index, or BMI—a number based on your height and weight. A simple guide can be found on the President’s Challenge Web site.

Once you have figured out your risk, what can you do about it? Losing weight, especially abdominal fat, can improve the function of your cardiovascular health, according to a study presented by Johns Hopkins researchers at a March 2012 American Heart Association scientific meeting. The study showed that the more belly fat the participants lost, the better their arteries were able to expand when needed, allowing more blood to flow more freely.

Half of the participants in the Hopkins study were on a low-fat diet and half were on a low-carbohydrate diet. Results demonstrated that the amount of improvement in the blood vessels was directly linked to how much abdominal fat the participants lost, regardless of which diet they were on. This was especially significant because it countered earlier concerns that a low-carb diet, which is higher in fat, would have a harmful effect on cardiovascular health. 

Increasing evidence, including that reported by Harvard Medical School, shows that diet combined with regular exercise is even more effective than dieting alone in reducing abdominal fat. While target exercises such as abdominal crunches may tighten stomach muscles, they will not decrease abdominal fat cells. The best approach has proven to be a combination of nutrition, increased activity and weight training. Interval training, which combines moderate-intensity aerobic activity with quick bursts at a higher intensity, also appears to be effective, as are core-strengthening exercise such as yoga and Pilates. Ask your health care provider or a personal trainer to help you create an exercise program that’s appropriate for you.

Watch this space for future blogs related to heart health.

Sugar has gained a reputation as a “bad guy” in the food chain, and for good reasons. It has long been associated with type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and obesity. According to two recent studies, there is also a direct connection between sugar and heart disease. 

A 2011 study by Northwestern University’s Department of Preventive Medicine revealed that women who drink sugar-sweetened beverages increase their risk for developing cardiovascular disease. It might seem logical that people who consume a lot of sugar would have a tendency toward obesity, which in turn increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes. But this study showed that heart risk factors developed even when the women did not gain weight.

A similar, 22-year study confirmed the connection between sugar and heart disease in men. Results showed that men who drink one 12-ounce sugar-sweetened drink a day sharply increase their risk for heart disease. Those who drank the sweetened beverages most often were 20 percent more likely to have a heart attack.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took these research results seriously enough to recently propose a controversial ban on selling super-sized sugary drinks at the City’s restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts. The outcome of this proposal could have a nationwide impact.

Before you attempt to eliminate all sugar from your diet, however, it’s important to know the difference between naturally occurring sugars—those that are naturally found in foods such as fruit, some vegetables and milk—and sugars that are added to foods during processing or at the table. Added sugars are commonly found in highly processed or packaged foods, including many breakfast cereals, snacks and desserts. The US Department of Agriculture recommends that half of our daily diet should consist of vegetables and fruits because of the important nutrients they provide. Foods with high amounts of added sugars, on the other hand, usually have limited nutritional value and are considered “empty” calories.

American Heart Association guidelines specify that most women should get not more than 100 calories a day from added sugar (six teaspoons) and most men should get no more than 150 calories’ worth (9 teaspoons). Unfortunately, most Americans eat 355 calories (22 teaspoons) of added sugar every day.

These added sugars are often “hidden” under other names on Nutrition Facts labels, so watch for ingredients such as corn sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, malt sugar and words ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose and sucrose), which are all forms of sugar. Note that low-fat and fat-free processed foods are often high in sugar and calories, so be sure to read the labels. There has been a lot of debate about whether high fructose corn syrup is any worse for you than table sugar, but the bottom line is that added sugars of any type provide extra calories without nutrients and should be used only in moderation.

Check out these tips on reducing added sugar in your diet.

By creating a food plan for yourself and your family that includes fewer processed foods with added sugars, you are more likely to get plenty of nutrition within your calorie needs. This will help you reach or maintain a healthy weight as well as improve your overall wellness and lower your heart disease risk.

Request our free DVD on how to grocery shop for a heart-healthy diet.