By Natasha Turner, ND

A new study in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that heart patients can lower their chance of experiencing more cardiac problems by using stress reduction techniques.

Researchers at Duke University put 107 heart patients on a four-month stress reduction program or a four-month exercise regimen or allowed them to receive the usual care from their personal physicians. Only three of the 33 people given stress management suffered cardiac events, (defined as a heart attack) or heart surgery such as a bypass or angioplasty. Seven of 34 people in the exercise group suffered such events as did 12 of the 40 patients receiving typical care. Those in the stress management program were 74% less likely to have additional heart problems than those who received only routine care.

The stress management program involved weekly 90-minute sessions including instruction about heart disease and stress, stress reduction techniques and group support. The stress reduction exercises required patients to systematically tense and relax muscles in their body, beginning with their feet and moving upward.

New research from Finland shows that work-related stress can double your risk of dying from heart disease. Investigators found that people who reported persistent stress due to high work demands, low job security or few career opportunities had the same risk level for fatal heart attacks as people who smoke and do not exercise. High job stress was also associated with being overweight and having high cholesterol.

In the Finnish study, more than 800 workers (men and women) at a metalworks factory in Finland were followed for an average of 25 years in an attempt to examine the relationship between work and stress. None of the participants had heart disease when the study began, but 73 people died from heart disease by the time it ended. The study is reported in the October 19, 2002 issue of the British Medical Journal.

After taking into account obvious heart attack risk factors such as age, smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and a sedentary lifestyle, the researchers found that employees who reported high job strain were twice as likely to die from heart disease as workers who did not feel stressed. Workers who felt they had high work demands, little opportunity for advancement and a feeling that their work was not rewarding were also twice as likely to die of heart disease.

It is known that stress can trigger heart attacks in people who already have heart disease, but this study suggests that it is a risk factor that can predict heart disease death in anyone. Refer to the Truestar Stress Page for techniques to reduce the negative effects of stress on your heart and your overall health.

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