VOLUME 2008 issue 10

Hostility + Depression = Heart Risk

Symptoms of depression and hostility may act together to increase the circulating levels of inflammatory markers, thus raising the risk of cardiovascular disease. Jesse C. Stewart, from Indiana University-Purdue University (USA), and colleagues followed a group of 316 healthy older adults (ages 50 to 70 years). In those study participants exhibiting depression, the team identified an association between greater hostility and elevated inflammatory markers of heart disease (specifically, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein).
[Stewart JC, Janicki-Deverts D, Muldoon MF, Kamarck TW. “Depressive symptoms moderate the influence of hostility on serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.” Psychosom Med. 2008 Feb;70(2):197-204. Epub 2008 Feb 6.]

Dr Klatz remarks: “While a link between depression, hostility, and cardiovascular disease has previously been suggested in age-specific groups of men, this study extends the correlation to the general community, and to women. Thus it suggests that there may be physical health reasons, not merely mental health reasons, to treat depression and hostility amongst the general population.”

Physical Job Activity Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk

Previous studies have suggested that physical activity decreases the risk of certain cancers. Working in a job that requires a continuous level of high physical effort may decrease the likelihood of a man to develop prostate cancer. Anusha Krishnadasan, from the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) compared the physical activity of 392 workers who developed prostate cancer with 1,805 men similarly employed and of similar age. Amongst a group; of aerospace workers,the majority – 64% - were involved in work that required sustained and high levels of physical activity; among this group, the odds for prostate cancer was 45% lower than that of less active coworkers. Amongst a group of nuclear power workers, only 34% of whom were involved in physically demanding work on a continual basis, the odds for prostate cancer did not differ with respect to physical activity levels. The researchers suggest that the difference in the level of physical activity – that is, if it is sustained or intermittent – may explain the difference in prostate cancer risk.
[Krishnadasan A, Kennedy N, Zhao Y, Morgenstern H, Ritz B. “Nested case-control study of occupational physical activity and prostate cancer among workers using a job exposure matrix.”
Cancer Causes Control. 2008 Feb;19(1):107-14. Epub 2007 Dec 7.]

Dr. Goldman observes: “This study provides an interesting glimpse into the beneficial value of continual or prolonged occupationally based physical activity. Coupled with other studies that demonstrate the benefits of leisure-time physical activity, it is difficult to ignore the evidence regarding the role of regular physical activity to ward off disease.”

Obesity Linked to Rise in Stroke Rates in Women

Previously, an analysis of stroke prevalence rates in the United States from 199 to 2004 revealed that middle-aged women (ages 35 to 54) were more than twice as likely as men of similar age to have a stroke. Amytis Towfighi, from the University of Southern California (USA), and colleagues analyzed data from women who participated in selected timeframes of the National Health and Nutrition Surveys (NHANES) study. The team found that 1.79% of women ages 35 to 54 who participated in the more recent NHANES study years, versus 0.63% in the earlier survey. The researchers further observed that women in the more recent study were “significantly more obese than women a decade prior,” with increased BMI (28.6 versus 27.1) as well as waist circumference (4 centimeters greater), and higher glycated hemoglobin (an indicator of poor blood sugar control).
[A Towfkghi, R Engelhardt, B Ovbiagele, Abstract P241: Obesity linked to stroke increase among milddle-aged women.” Presented at the International Stroke Conference 2008 (American Stroke Association), 20 February 2008.]

Comments Dr. Klatz: “Abdominal obesity is a known predictor of stroke, especially in women, and extra pounds may be a key factor in the surge in the rates of midlife stroke in this population. This study underscores the importance to intensify efforts to curb the obesity epidemic.”

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