Study: Hostility May Damage Heart

Hostility May Predict Heart Disease More Than Other Risk Factors

If you tend to be hostile toward others, you may want to reconsider your negative attitude -- for your heart's sake.

New research found that hostility may be a better predictor of heart disease than traditional risk factors like high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and weight. The study is published in the November issue of Health Psychology.

The study, led by researcher Raymond Niaura at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I., used a sample of nearly 800 white men with an average age of 60. Over a three-year period, researchers collected data on hostility and cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diet, alcohol intake, smoking, and other risk factors.

They found that men with higher levels of hostility had more instances of heart disease than those with other risk factors, such as high cholesterol, alcohol intake or smoking tobacco, Niaura said.

So what does hostility have to do with heart health?

The researchers said it could be that high hostility levels affect body mechanisms not measured in this study, like nervous system imbalances or hormones.

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