Stress increases risk of heart attacks and strokes by nearly 60 per cent

THE risk of heart attacks and strokes soars by more than half if people are stressed out, major new research reveals.

They are almost 60 per cent more likely to fall victim compared to folk who chill out.

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Scientists spent years giving almost 300 adults regular brain scans to expose the peril.

The pioneering study also monitored their arteries, which suffered when the amygdala — the part of the brain associated with anxious feelings — experienced increased activity.

The researchers suspect a chain reaction caused by the amygdala alerting the rest of the body.

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Signals are sent to the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells, which can inflame arteries.

British Heart Foundation medic Emily Reeve said: “The link between stress and increased risk of developing heart disease has previously focused on the lifestyle habits people take up when they feel stressed.”

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Some 2.3million Brits have coronary heart disease. Harvard’s Dr Ahmed Tawakol, who led the research, said it provided “a unique insight into how stress may lead to cardiovascular disease”.
He said: “Reducing stress could produce benefits beyond an improved sense of psychological wellbeing.”