Your genes may increase your risk of heart attack during highly stressful times.
A Massachusetts General Hospital study found that people with certain genetic traits associated with anxiety and depression are at increased risk of heart attack during times of social or political stress, such as the presidential election, the winter holidays, or even the Super Bowl. was found to be significantly higher.
The study, presented in April at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions, was the first to examine genetics-based stress susceptibility as a factor in acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
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These syndromes include heart attacks and other “serious conditions in which the heart suddenly loses blood supply,” the press release said.
Of the 18,428 Mass General Brigham Biobank participants, 1,890 developed ACS between 2000 and 2020.
People with high stress sensitivity, anxiety and depression are at “significantly increased risk of heart attack” during periods of social or political stress, the study found. (Lorenzo Bevilacqua/ABC via Getty Images; iStock)
The researchers measured participants’ stress sensitivity by measuring their Neuroticism Polygenic Risk Score (nPRS).
Stressful periods (including the five days after the presidential election and the 10 days before and after Christmas Day) accounted for 3.2% of the observed timelines.
A total of 71 ACS cases occurred during the stressful period, compared to 1,819 during the control period.
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Researchers found that people with high genetic stress susceptibility had a 36% higher risk of ACS.
Those with high genetic stress who also developed anxiety and depression had three times the risk.
People above the median nPRS, or those with a higher genetic stress susceptibility, have a 36% higher risk of ACS, a new study finds. (St. Petersburg)
“High nPRS indicates increased genetic susceptibility to stress and mediates ACS risk during periods of sociopolitical stress,” the study authors wrote in their conclusion. “With a multifaceted approach, [cardiovascular disease] Prevention may be beneficial. ”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the study’s lead author, Dr. Shady Abohachem, a lecturer in cardiovascular imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said that while the numbers are “staggering,” the overall results are not surprising. No, he said. Regardless of genetics, this alone is associated with a significant risk of heart attack.
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“So if you have both conditions, you would expect to see a significantly increased risk,” he says.
Through scientific analysis, Abohahem and his fellow researchers found that approximately 25% of ACS cases are due to anxiety and depression.
Approximately one-quarter of ACS episodes in this study were due to anxiety and depression, researchers told FOX News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
Abohahem said the influence of genetic susceptibility to heart attack risk could be an important factor for cardiologists and general practitioners to consider.
He suggested introducing these screens into cardiovascular risk assessments to identify those most at risk.
“The mind-heart connection is strong, so this study highlights that not only our bodies but also our minds need rest and care.”
“Based on that identification, targeted interventions, or perhaps prevention strategies, can be developed that could help protect those people from developing a heart attack in the future,” he added. .
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Researchers are currently working on studies to discover how lifestyle modifications can benefit people at high genetic risk for stress.
Since 2024 is an election year, Abohachem advised Americans to manage stress through effective means such as exercise and yoga.
Dr. Shady Abohachem, a lecturer in cardiovascular imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is the lead author of this new study and shared his insights with Fox News Digital. (ACC (American College of Cardiology))
Dr. Lakshmi Mehta, a medical expert at the American Heart Association and chair of cardiology at The Ohio State University, commented on the study in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“This is an interesting study that further supports the data on the mind-heart connection,” said Mehta, who was not involved in the study. “It highlights the importance of mental health and the impact it has on overall health, including the heart.”
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Mehta said the “retrospective nature” of the study “limits the ability to show direct causal relationships between mental health conditions” such as depression and anxiety.
The study “strengthens preventive care for the whole person,” the cardiologist emphasized.
One doctor emphasized the importance of medically focusing on the “heart-to-heart connection.” (St. Petersburg)
“The mind-heart connection is strong, and this study highlights that not only our bodies but also our minds need rest and care,” she says.
“The public recognizes how social and political stress affects us, that it’s okay to distance yourself from these stressors, and that it’s good to learn more about interventions such as yoga, exercise, and mindfulness. There is a need.”
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Experts encouraged doctors to advise patients on the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8,” which are important steps to maintain cardiovascular health.
These eight steps include eating better, being more active, quitting nicotine products, getting healthy sleep, managing your weight, managing your cholesterol, managing your blood sugar levels, and maintaining healthy blood pressure.
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