To Your Health: NLM update Transcript

Anger and heart attacks: 11/28/2016

Image: Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control

Greetings from the National Library of Medicine and MedlinePlus.gov

Regards to all our listeners!

I'm Rob Logan, Ph.D., senior staff, U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Here is what's new this week in To Your Health - a consumer health oriented podcast from NLM - that helps you use MedlinePlus to follow up on weekly topics.

Adults who are angry and upset are more likely to have a heart attack after they exercise, suggests a large, recent, international study published in Circulation.

The study, based on 12,461 heart attack victims from 52 nations, found adults (who self-reported being angry or upset in the hour before they exercised) experienced twice the risk of heart attack symptoms within a post-exercise hour. If study participants were both angry and upset, the risk of a post-exercise, heart attack tripled within an hour - compared to those who were calmer before their work out.

The study's six authors also found very heavy exertion (during the hour prior to exercise) doubled the risk of heart attack symptoms (within the first post-exercise hour).

Interestingly, the study found similar increased risks among adults who self-reported stress, anger, being upset, or heavy exertion during the same time period the day before they began to exercise.

The findings also suggest exercising at night is associated with an increased risk of a heart attack (when preceded by anger, stress, or heavy exertion). The increased risk of a heart attack (among highly stressed adults) seems to occur especially between 6 pm and midnight.

The study's leader, Dr. Andrew Smyth of McMaster University in Canada, told the Associated Pressthe findings make biological sense. Smyth explained emotion, stress, and exertion raise blood pressure and heart rate, which changes the flow of blood in vessels and potentially reduces the heart's blood supply.

In acknowledging the study's unintended, paradoxical impact to discourage adult exercise, Smyth said (and we quote): 'from a practical perspective, there will be times when exposure to such extremes is unavoidable' (end of quote).

Smyth explained (and we quote): 'We continue to advise regular physical activity for all, including those who use exercise to relieve stress' (end of quote). Smyth counseled adults to stay within usual exercise routines especially when they are upset, angry, or experiencing unusual stress at home or at work.

While the study uses self-reported measures, the findings are based on a much higher number of international participants than previous research.

Meanwhile, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides a guide to physical activity and your heart within the 'start here' section of MedlinePlus.gov's heart diseases prevention health topic page.

The American Heart Association, which publishes Circulation, provides tips to help you manage stress within the 'related issues' section of MedlinePlus.gov's heart diseases prevention health topic page.

MedlinePlus.gov's heart diseases prevention health topic page also provides links to the latest pertinent journal research articles, which are available in the 'journal articles' section. Links to relevant clinical trials that may be occurring in your area are available within the 'clinical trials' section. You can sign up to receive updates about heart disease prevention as they become available on MedlinePlus.gov.

To find MedlinePlus.gov's heart diseases prevention health topic page, please type 'heart disease prevention' in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov's home page, then, click on 'heart diseases-prevention (National Library of Medicine).' MedlinePlus.gov also has a health topic page devoted to heart diseases.

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It was nice to be with you. Please join us here next week and here's to your health!