Optimism associated with lower risk of having stroke

July 21, 2011 in Cardiology

A positive outlook on life might lower your risk of having a stroke, according to new research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In an observational study, a nationally representative group of 6,044 adults over age 50 rated their optimism levels on a 16-point scale. Each point increase in optimism corresponded to a 9 percent decrease in acute over a two-year follow-up period.

"Our work suggests that people who expect the best things in life actively take steps to promote health," said Eric Kim, study lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Michigan.

Optimism is the expectation that more good things, rather than bad, will happen.

Previous research has shown that an optimistic attitude is associated with better heart and enhanced immune-system functioning, among other positive effects.

The study is the first to discover a correlation between optimism and . Previous research has shown that low pessimism and temporary positive emotions are linked to lower stroke risk.

Researchers analyzed self-reported stroke and psychological data from the ongoing Health and Retirement Study, collected between 2006 and 2008. Participants were stroke-free at the beginning of the study.

Researchers measured optimism levels with the modified Life Orientation Test-Revised, a widely used assessment tool in which participants rank their responses on a numeric scale.

The team used logistic regression analysis to establish the association between optimism and stroke and adjusted for factors that might affect stroke risk, including chronic illness, self-reported health and sociodemographic, behavioral, biological and psychological conditions.

"Optimism seems to have a swift impact on stroke," said Kim, noting that researchers followed participants for only two years.

The protective effect of optimism may primarily be due to behavioral choices that people make, such as taking vitamins, eating a healthy diet and exercising, researchers said.

However, some evidence suggests positive thinking might have a strictly biological impact as well.

Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, and a leading cause of disability.

Provided by American Heart Association search and more info website

5 /5 (2 votes)  

Rank 5 /5 (2 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Diagnostic coronary angiography: Functional flow reserve changes decisions in 25 percent of cases

Routinely measuring fractional flow reserve (FFR) using pressure wire assessment during coronary angiography for diagnosis of chest pain leads to significant changes in the management of one in four patients, according to ...

Cardiology created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Feasibility trial reports deployment of new device for TAVI in aortic insufficiency

A new investigational device - the Helio System (TF-FA) - being developed for use with the Sapien XT Transcatheter Heart Valve was successfully deployed in all four patients in a small, first-in-human feasibility study of ...

Cardiology created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cardiac study used as source for new guidelines on treating people undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery

Cardiac research from the University of Alberta had serious impact as a source for the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association's new guidelines on how to treat patients undergoing coronary artery ...

Cardiology created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Dual-source cardiac CT IDs CAD in hard-to-image patients

(HealthDay)—In patients who have previously been considered difficult to image, dual-source cardiac (DSC) computed tomography (CT) can identify clinically significant coronary artery disease, according ...

Cardiology created 17 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Death rates decline for advanced heart failure patients, but outcomes are still not ideal

UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden ...

Cardiology created 19 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent

(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...

Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

New neuron formation could increase capacity for new learning, at the expense of old memories

New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus - a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering - could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization ...

Are there atheists in foxholes? Study says they're the minority

Ernie Pyle – an iconic war correspondent in World War II – reportedly said "There are no atheists in foxholes." A new joint study between two brothers at Cornell and Virginia Wesleyan found that only ...

Scientists put bowel cancer under the microscope

Researchers from London's Kingston University have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumours.

Help at hand for people with schizophrenia

How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.