High life satisfaction linked to less inflammation, risk factors for heart disease
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Key takeaways:
- Higher life satisfaction was related with fewer CV risk factors and inflammatory markers and lower CVD risk.
- Higher well-being was linked to lower BMI, never drinking, physical activity and more sleep.
Higher levels of life satisfaction and well-being may portend lower rates of CVD due to the association between inflammatory markers and CV risk factors observed among individuals reporting lower well-being, researchers reported.
Lower well-being and life satisfaction was associated with higher BMI, drinking, sedentary behavior and less sleep compared with higher well-being, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where enhancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being is considered an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” Wen Sun, MD, PhD, associate director of the Stroke Center at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China, said in a press release. “Health care professionals might consider including strategies to improve life satisfaction and happiness as part of routine care, such as recommending regular physical activities, social activities or stress management techniques as effective ways to enhance personal well-being.”
To elucidate the ties between well-being and CV risk factors and CVD risk and inflammatory markers, Sun and colleagues analyzed a UK Biobank dataset including 121,317 respondents to its baseline questionnaire (mean age, 57 years; 45% men).
Six key well-being-related questionnaire items were identified and used to create a factor score called the “well-being index” — general happiness and satisfaction with family, friendships, health, finances and job situations.
Respondents scored their well-being factors on a scale of 1 to 6, with responses including “extremely happy,” “very happy,” “moderately happy,” “moderately unhappy,” “very unhappy” and “extremely unhappy.”
CVDs of interest included stroke, CHD, MI and HF and inflammatory markers of interest included white blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes, platelets, lymphocytes and C-reactive protein.
The researchers reported a significant inverse association between well-being index and CVD risk, with each 1 standard deviation increase in the well-being index associated with a 10% to 17% reduced risk for CVD (P for all < .001). This trend was similar for both men and women and more pronounced among those younger than 65 years compared with older individuals.
Individuals higher on the well-being index were classified as having high life satisfaction.
Individuals with increased levels of life satisfaction had the following levels of lifestyle-related factors:
- lower BMI (P < .001);
- never drinking (P < .001);
- vigorous physical activity (P < .001);
- moderate physical activity (P < .001);
- consuming less processed meat (P < .001);
- spending less time watching TV (P < .001); and
- having sleep duration between 7 and 9 hours (P < .001).
Moreover, the researchers noted a negative association between the well-being index and each of the evaluated inflammatory markers, most of which were also associated with an increased risk for various CVDs, according to the study.
“These results underscore the profound impact that emotional and psychological health can have on physical well-being, shedding light on intricate biological mechanisms that were not fully appreciated before,” Sun said in the release.
Sun and colleagues noted that because their results were based on UK Biobank data, the findings are not globally representative and are mainly only applicable to white ancestry. More research in diverse settings is needed, they wrote.
Reference:
- Happy with your life? Research links contentment with fewer heart attacks and strokes. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/happy-with-your-life. Published Sept. 18, 2024. Accessed Sept. 18, 2024.
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