Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention was a public health concern. Physical activity, a good diet, and quitting smoking all played key roles in prevention, whereas aspects of psychosocial well-being were mostly researched individually, with mixed results. For a study, the researchers sought to determine if a combination of psychosocial well-being indices was linked to decreased coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression. Furthermore, 312 women (mean age 50.8) from the SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation) auxiliary Heart Study, all of whom were clear of clinical CVD at the start of the study. Hence, six validated psychosocial surveys assessing optimism, vitality, life engagement, life satisfaction, fulfilling multiple roles, and positive affect were combined to develop a composite psychosocial well-being score. Using electron-beam tomography, subclinical CAC development was defined as a rise of 10 Agatston units over 2.3 years. The influence of happiness on CAC advancement was investigated using relative risk (RR) regression models adjusted for sociodemographic variables, depression, healthy living habits, and traditional CVD risk factors. A total of 42.9% of participants had a CAC score of more than 0 at the start, and 17.6% progressed. With adjustment for possible confounders, depression, and health practices, well-being was linked with reduced progression (RR, 0.909; 95% CI, 0.843-0.979; P=0.012). Further adjustment for conventional CVD risk variables attenuated the link for the overall group (RR, 0.943; 95% CI, 0.871-1.020; P=0.142), but the 134 women with baseline CAC more than 0 remained significant (RR, 0.921; 95% CI, 0.852-0.995; P=0.037). Incorporating the mind side of the mind-heart-body continuum might have resulted in optimal early CVD prevention in women.
Source –www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.023937
