Can intense anger harm your heart? Prior studies have hinted at a connection between sudden anger and a heightened risk of heart attack. To delve deeper into this relationship, researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Yale School of Medicine, St. John’s University in New York, and other institutions conducted a study. They enlisted 280 healthy young adults and divided them into four groups: a control group that counted out loud for eight minutes while maintaining a neutral emotional state, and groups that recollected events that evoked anger, sadness, or anxiety.
Before the participants began and at intervals up to 100 minutes after, the researchers collected blood samples and measured blood flow and pressure. The findings, which were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, indicate that anger might indeed impact the heart by impairing blood vessel function.
The study revealed that individuals in the anger group exhibited significantly reduced blood vessel dilation compared to those in the control group. Conversely, the sadness and anxiety groups did not experience impaired dilation. The ability of blood vessels to dilate is regulated by endothelial cells lining the insides of these vessels.
The researchers also found no evidence of damage to the endothelial cells or the body's ability to repair such damage. The sole issue observed was the impairment of dilation, which serves as an early indicator of atherosclerosis. This condition involves the accumulation of fats and cholesterol, known as plaque, on artery walls, leading to arterial stiffening. Atherosclerosis can pave the way for coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disorders.
Andrea Duran, an assistant professor of medical sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and co-author of the study, stressed the importance of studying endothelium-dependent vasodilation. The results could assist healthcare professionals in encouraging patients with heart disease and anger problems to manage their anger through activities like yoga, exercise, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
Dr. Holly Middlekauff, a cardiologist and professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, highlighted that the study provides a biological basis for the theory that anger is detrimental to health, raising blood pressure and impairing vascular health.
Nonetheless, Duran cautioned that the study is foundational and further research is necessary to understand precisely how anger affects blood vessel dilation. The researchers speculated that factors such as stress hormones, heightened inflammation, and activation of the autonomic nervous system might play roles.
While the study focused on healthy individuals without chronic conditions, future research should encompass populations with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic ailments, as well as individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Middlekauff suggested that future studies should explore the vascular function of individuals with chronic anger to deepen our understanding of anger's impact on heart health.