The study finds that stress is related to an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart problems
- The researchers followed 400 people in the United States to monitor stress hormone levels
- They found that the risk increased by 30% each time stress hormone levels doubled
- High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney disease
Another study found that people with prolonged stress are significantly more likely to have high blood pressure and heart problems.
The researchers followed 400 Americans for more than a decade and monitored stress levels of urine in their urine.
They found that the risk of cardiovascular events, including a heart attack or heart disease, increased by 90% each time these levels doubled.
And the chance of developing hypertension, the medical name for high blood pressure, increased by up to 30%.
High blood pressure can damage the heart, major organs and arteries over time, increasing the risk of serious conditions.
When a person is stressed, the body produces hormones such as cortisol that put them in “fight or flight” mode.
The main defense response causes the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise to increase the flow of oxygen to the muscles.
Once the stress is over, they usually return to normal.
But unhealthy stress-related habits, such as eating unhealthily, sleeping too little, and drinking too much alcohol, can lead to long-term high blood pressure.
The study found that the risk of high blood pressure increased by up to 30% each time stress hormone levels doubled. Work, relationships and finances can increase stress hormone levels, according to studies (stock)
Estimates suggest that just over a quarter of adults in the UK have high blood pressure or 14.4 million people. In the United States, it is believed that nearly half of adults, or 108 million people, have this disease.
Researchers at the Japanese University of Kyoto regularly tested participants ’urine to detect four stress hormones: norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol.
They collected four samples over 14 years, between July 2004 and June 2018.
At each follow-up, participants were also checked for hypertension and cardiovascular events, including chest pain, a heart attack or stroke, or the need for any arterial procedures.
The results, published in the journal Hypertension, showed that increasing levels of stress hormones are associated with an increased risk of hypertension and heart problems.
Lead author Kosuke Inoue said: “The next key question in the research is whether and in which populations it might be helpful to increase stress hormone testing.
“Currently, these hormones are only measured when hypertension is suspected with an underlying cause or other related diseases.
“However, if additional screening could prevent hypertension and cardiovascular events, we might want to measure these hormone levels more often.”
The study was conducted in conjunction with the University of California as part of the Multi-Ethnic Atherosclerosis Study (MESA).
About half of the participants were women and were between 48 and 87 years old.
More than half of the people involved were Hispanic, while a quarter were white and 22% were black.